The Silver Lining
by kimpy
Summary: Divorced Bella meets widowed Edward one afternoon in a Laundromat, and an instant attraction results. When you meet your soulmate after your spouse dies, do you allow yourself fall in love again? Written for Litljazzbird.
1. Chapter 1

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: This is a FGB one-shot written for Litljazzbird. Much thanks for her generous donation to the cause.**

**This story is a departure from most you will see on FF. Bella and Edward meet when they are much older. I ask that you give the story a respectful try, because it's different, but still very special. I thank Litljazzbird for the chance to write something so unique and challenging. **

**The **_**Water for Elephants**_** reference is for Lolashoes and Bsmog, who insisted I read it. I owe them my eternal gratitude for introducing it to me.**

**Big, enormous, fluffy heart thanks to ladyeire72 for pre-reading this story and letting me know I was on track. Without her guidance, I was ready to scrap this entire piece at one point, but she encouraged me to persevere.**

**Thank you to my beta, TFX, for always helping me to see the silver lining.**

**CHAPTER ONE**

My New Year's resolution is to learn how to do some things for myself. I've decided to simplify my life, trying not to rely on others. As I sit here in the Laundromat, trying to figure out how much soap to use, I question my judgment on this.

It's been a few years since cancer claimed my wife's life. While I loved her, and she was the mother of my children, it still surprises me that I don't really miss her presence in my daily routine. It isn't as though I wanted her gone, of course, but my response to her absence makes it clear how separate our lives had become by the time she was gone. We had our different worlds: mine, the OR, hers, at home. We were comfortable with each other, but if I'm completely honest with myself, Jessica was never the passionate love of my life. I'd always hoped to find that, but by the time I met Jess, I was ready to settle down. I didn't know that in choosing to settle down, I was settling for less than I really wanted.

A giggle interrupts my thoughts. I turn around to see a slender woman with long silver hair braided in the back. She's wearing a pair of jean shorts and a tie-dye shirt, and if it weren't for the gray in her hair, I would've assumed she was in her early 50s. She looks so carefree and comfortable. I find the corner of my mouth turning up in a grin, because I realize that she's giggling at me.

"It isn't complex math, you know," she says between giggles.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The amount of soap to use. Just measure it using the lid from the laundry detergent."

I look at the bottle in my hands, and see that she's right.

"Oh, thank you for that. I was a little concerned about how to figure it all out."

"You don't know how to do laundry, at your age?"

"I wanted to prove to myself you're never too old to learn new things."

"Amen to that; the day I stop learning is the day I die."

"What a refreshing philosophy."

I take this woman in; she's the most vibrant person I've ever seen. It's been a long time since I've allowed my mind to wander in the realm of attraction, but I can't help myself. I've never met anyone like her.

It takes a moment to register that I haven't actually met her yet. I reach out my hand to her. "Edward Cullen. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

She looks at my outstretched hand, and a devilish grin blooms on her face. She grabs it, but doesn't shake it. She forms my hand into a fist, then bumps our hands together.

"Bella Swan."

There are some wisps of errant hair that fall out of her braid, framing her face. I have a strong inclination to tuck them behind her ear.

"You do know that you have to separate your clothes, right?"

"Uh, yes?" I answer, sounding as uncertain as I am.

Her delightful giggles return. "Darks and like colors go together. Whites on their own."

Huh. I had been planning on throwing it all in together. I've been too busy watching her face to focus on what I've been doing with my laundry, lost in her happy, easy attitude.

Suddenly, I notice that this entire time, she's been folding her clothes. I glance down at her clothing, and that's when I see them.

She's sorting a stack of thongs. THONGS.

Even when she was younger, Jessica never wore lingerie. By the time we had children, she had switched over to old lady briefs. Every time I gave her a gift of beautiful lingerie, she laughed at me. She told me that mothers had no business being sexy.

Just the thought of a thong on Bella's beautiful body is enough to make me hard. I'm amazed at my ability to be turned on so quickly and easily by this utterly unique, beautiful woman. I haven't been so turned on in decades, and it feels damn good and reassuring. The plumbing definitely still works.

"Yoohoo! Earth to Edward!" Bella is waving her hand in front of my face. "You having a moment, there?"

"No, just a pleasant daydream. I'm sorry."

"Would you like some help? We could put our laundry together, so we can make a full load."

"You'd do that for me?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Well sure, why wouldn't I?"

She walks over to me carrying her laundry basket. It's filled with wet laundry, but the towels are still covered in dirt.

"Are you going to wash those again?"

"Hmm? No, this is clean."

"But it still looks dirty."

She glances at her laundry, studying it. Then she giggles. "Ohhh, I get it. No, these are my rags. I use it for clean up when I paint."

I'm still confused; how often would she need to paint her house? Plus, isn't she a little old to be doing that all by herself? "Paint?"

"Yes, I'm an artist. I teach classes at the Port Angeles Senior Center."

As she reaches over to put my whites into a washing machine, I notice her hands. She wears a ring on her right pointer finger, but nothing on her ring finger. Either hand.

"Okay, so you see this? I'm putting your whites together. You can wash them at a higher water temperature. The washer is only about half full, so you need to adjust the water level, like this," she demonstrates for me. "Warm water, medium load. Then add your cup of laundry detergent," she looks over at me, expectantly.

"Oh, you mean right now?"

"Yes, that's right, before the washer starts agitating the load."

I pour the detergent into the cup, then pour it into a hole in the middle of the blade.

"NO!" She says aloud. She lifts the cup with the detergent out then puts it into the stream of water pouring into the washing machine. "I didn't mean for that to be so brusque. The cup you just used is for softener. For the detergent, you just pour it in the water, directly over the clothing."

"Sorry. It seemed like that's where it should go."

"You don't need to apologize about it," she says, smiling and shaking her head in amusement. "It's not like you've done this before."

"I don't like to make mistakes," I reply. I'm not sure why I admit this to her, since I am usually a very private person.

"Mistakes are the way we improve ourselves, Edward," she says, her manner so gentle and reassuring. "No one can get everything right the first time they try. I'd be disappointed if you didn't need my help."

I catch myself smiling at this remarkable creature. She has such a zest for life, and it's incredibly attractive. For the first time in years, I find myself wanting to know more about a woman. In fact, I want to know everything I possibly can.

"Uh, this might sound a little forward, but would you like to go have a cup of coffee with me?"

"Right now?"

"Well—yes?"

"Hmm. I'd love to, but we really can't leave until the stuff in the dryer is complete. There are sneaky little fuckers who will come in and take your clothes out while they're still wet, and replace it with their own, so they don't have to pay. How about once the dryers are done, we put the laundry in our cars and head to have coffee then?"

"Sneaky little fuckers, huh?" I rarely curse, but for some reason, it feels exciting and naughty to do it with Bella.

"Well, for lack of a better word, yes."

"All right then, sneaky little fuckers be damned. They've met their match."

Bella closes the lid to the washing machine, and picks up a book of crossword puzzles. She puts on a pair of headphones and selects some songs from her iPod. I've never gotten used to using those things; I just use my CD player at home. I pull out the most recent _New England Journal of Medicine_ and start to read.

As we sit here in silence, side-by-side, there isn't a trace of awkwardness. Bella is absorbed in her puzzle, but I can tell she is still aware of my presence next to her. If it had been Jessica next to me, she would have been talking my ear off, not letting me have a moment of quiet in which to read. She always complained about my lack of conversational skills, but I'm a firm believer in waiting to speak until you have something of worth to communicate. What I have with Bella is companionable silence, and it feels… _just right_.

I feel her nudge me, and I look up at her. She has taken off her headphones.

"What is a four letter word for needle case? It starts with an 'E.' I know what it is, I just can't get it from my brain to my tongue."

I look at her for a moment, trying to think of an answer. This happens to me all the time—I know vaguely what the word is, but I am unable to reproduce it. The answer chooses that moment to pop into my head.

"Etui."

"Yes! Etui! Ugh, that was driving me nuts! Thank you for that."

She replaces her headphones and goes back to her puzzle. She starts to hum along to the music, unaware that she's doing it out loud. She's utterly endearing.

When the alarm for the washer sounds, she removes the headphones and walks over to the machine. I follow right behind her. That's when I take a moment to look at her bottom. Her shorts fit her perfectly, showing off a rather shapely derriere. I can't remember the last time I ogled a female, but I'm not making any apologies for my behavior. I want so badly to cup it, feel its weight under my hands. Bella turns around quickly, unexpectedly, catching me in the act. She merely smirks, saying nothing.

Once again, I feel compelled to make a comparison between Jessica and Bella. Jess would have rolled her eyes and called me a pervert. We were never sexual with each other outside of the bedroom, and even then, it was always a scheduled, once-a-week affair, if I was lucky. Jessica wasn't a bad person—she was a good partner in life, raised two wonderful children, and stood dutifully by my side at work events and parties. It dawns on me, however, that I was genuinely out of synch with her, and our marriage wasn't so much about love and passion, but rather commitment and friendship.

The sound of Bella clearing her throat brings me back into the moment.

"Did you want me to show you how to put this in the dryer, or were you just going to spend some more time daydreaming?" She has a sparkling smile on her face.

"Dryer. Please. I need to know how to defend myself against the sneaky little fuckers."

She lets out a loud, long snort of laughter, and I can't help but join her. She holds out her fist to me, like she did earlier, and this time, I bump mine against hers without any assistance.

"All right then. The dryer. Much easier than the washer. Take out all the clothes you are going to dry, and toss them in." She reaches out to toss her own wet clothing in the dryer, and I do the same.

"Do you have dryer sheets with you?"

"Uh, what exactly is a dryer sheet?"

"You know, like Bounce?"

I have no idea what she is trying to say. She shakes her head at me, smiling once again. I love the fact that she spends so much of her time smiling.

She pulls out a small box, removing some kind of white fabric sheet, and shows it to me.

"This is a dryer sheet," she explains, waving it in the air like a handkerchief. "You use it to remove static cling from your laundry, and to make it softer. I encourage you to always use them."

She tosses the sheet into the dryer while I finish adding my wet clothes. I shut the door, and turn to her.

"All you have to do is turn the dial for the amount of time you want the clothes to dry. This one has an automatic sensor, so it will buzz once everything is dry. Then, simply hit the 'start' button, and you're good to go."

"Bella, thank you so much for doing all this. Taking the time to show an old man a new trick."

"Old man? What are you talking about? Where?"

I laugh at her attempt to make a joke. "Old enough to be retired."

"Naw, we're not old; our parents are old. 60s is the new middle age, isn't it?"

"Well, you certainly don't look old enough to be in your 60s."

"Oh, Edward, flattery will get you everywhere."

"I'm not a flatterer, I just call it like I see it."

"Yeah, right. You're a silverfox and you know it. I bet this is part of your routine, dazzling women in the Laundromat so they'll do your laundry for you."

"Silverfox?"

"Yeah, you know, a sexy older guy who has a sprinkling of gray hair. You know how to work it."

I laugh out loud at the absurdity of her statement. "That's just ridiculous. I've never been known as a sexy guy, believe me."

"Uh-huh, right. Well, even if you weren't aware of it, the women you dazzle sure are."

"I don't care about other women—do I dazzle _you_?"

Her confident smile falters a little bit, but I'm unsure as to why. She answers me in a quiet voice. "Yes, in fact, you do."

"Well then, that's all that matters."

I see a beautiful flush cross her cheeks, and I realize that she is blushing. The last thing I want to do is make her embarrassed, but she is stunningly beautiful in that moment. Without thinking, I reach out and touch her cheek. She gives me a sad smile, and puts her hand over mine, allowing me to continue holding her.

"I should probably get back to my crossword puzzle," she sounds uncomfortable.

"And I my NEJM."

"What's an NEJM?"

"It's the abbreviation doctors use for _New England Journal of Medicine_. It's like the gold standard of medical journals."

"I thought you were retired?"

"I am, but I still like to keep up. I was a trauma surgeon for more than 35 years—it isn't like you stop being a surgeon, even if you don't spend your days in the OR."

"I can totally see you as a doctor, now that you mention it."

"It's the hands, isn't it?" I tease, wiggling my fingers in front of her. I watch as her eyes get big, and she focuses on my hands.

"What?"

"It's nothing, you just have such beautiful hands," she says then looks away quickly. She clears her throat. "Artists notice that kind of stuff."

We pick up our reading, and return to our companionable silence until the dryer alarm sounds. We separate mine from hers, fold it, and place it in our cars.

She looks at me, unsure. "Are we still going to get coffee?"

"I'd be offended and hurt if you didn't! It's the least I can do after all your help in there. You even saved me from the clutches of the sneaky little fuckers," I say, laughing.

"Well, that's true, I did. Lead the way, kind sir."

"Where would you like to go?"

"There's a local coffee house a few blocks up the street. Do you mind walking over there?"

"Absolutely not."

With that, we walk casually, comfortably over to the coffee house.

**~xXx~**

We sit down with our cups of coffee and look across the table at one another. The easy chemistry of the Laundromat is gone, and I suddenly feel awkward, like I'm on a first date.

"So, did you grow up here, Edward?"

"No, I grew up in Chicago. I went to Northwestern for my undergrad and med school then moved to Seattle for my surgical residency. You?"

"My father was the chief of police in a small town called Forks, Washington. I went to U Dub and majored in art, got married, then moved to Port Angeles. I've been here for years."

"You were married?"

"Yes, I married my high school boyfriend. How about you?"

"I was married, too. My wife was from Washington."

"Did you get divorced?"

"Ah, no, she died from inoperable brain cancer a little more than three years ago."

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry. That must have been an awful ordeal, for both of you."

"I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

She gently reaches out and takes my hand into hers, soothing me with her touch. It's such a kind and intimate gesture, and it instantly makes me feel better.

"You aren't wearing a wedding ring…" I mention.

"You noticed that, did you? What a sneaky dog you are!"

"Well, when you don't wear one yourself, you notice it when other people don't."

"True enough. I've been divorced for about 15 years."

"I'm sorry. Was it an unpleasant break up, if I may ask?"

"Sure you can ask; I don't have many secrets, even if I'm not one to broadcast. We're still friends."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Our kids were still in high school when we separated."

"Ours were grown and married by the time Jessica passed away. They had a really hard time with it."

"It's never easy to let go of a parent, no matter how conflicted a relationship might be."

"It's strange, but it was almost harder for them than it was for me."

"Really? You two weren't close?"

"No, we were… it's just hard to explain. It's like we began to lead separate lives by the time our kids were older. We still loved each other, but I was so busy with my work life, and she was busy with the kids' lives. There wasn't much passion, if you know what I mean."

"Oh yes, I get it. It's so easy to fall into a pattern, then into a rut, and then… you end up being two people who happen to live in the same house."

"Exactly! That's what we were. No animosity, but almost some indifference."

"I understand. When you're 21, things look so different. You have your entire life ahead of you, and you assume people are who they are. The problem is, people change."

"Is that how it was for you?"

"It was a little more complicated than that. You know, sometimes people promise to love you forever, but that's a long time. I think Jake meant well, but he didn't know he'd fall out of love with me. When he met his co-worker Vanessa, she instantly became the center of his world. It was like suddenly his life became tethered to hers in a way the two of us never connected. When I saw it happen—saw the two of them together—I realized that she was the one meant for him. To the best of my knowledge, Jake never once cheated on me, which made it all easier. I released him because I loved him, and I wanted him to be happy. They've been together for 15 years now."

"How could you possibly do that? I would have been livid. I don't think I could have been so rational about it."

"Look, I'm a pragmatist. I could see what the writing on the wall. He was never disrespectful to me. I could either accept it and move forward with my own life, or I could wallow in misery. Given the choice, I would always choose to be happy on my own terms. You never know what life is going to drop in your lap."

Bella is completely and totally a creature from another planet. I've never known anyone—female or male—who could be so unselfish. How could her husband have been so stupid as to not see what a beautiful gem he had right in front of him? I choose not to answer that question, and to simply be grateful that this is the way her life played out, or I would never have had the chance to meet her.

Bella glances down at her watch, and a look of panic washes over her face.

"Oh, shit! I'm supposed to be babysitting tonight! I totally lost track of time."

"You have to go?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I do. It was such serendipity to have bumped into you today, Edward. You really brightened my day."

"The feeling is absolutely mutual."

"Do you…" she pauses.

"Yes?"

"Aw hell, I'm just going to say it. Do you want to exchange phone numbers? I feel like I want to talk to you again. Is that bad?"

"I didn't even know how to go about asking you. Thank you for taking the initiative. I haven't had to do this sort of thing for decades, so I'm a little out of practice."

"Here, just type your phone number into my cell, and I'll do the same with yours. That will be easiest," she says, handing me her cell phone.

"Um, my cell phone is at home."

"Oh, you just forgot it today, huh?"

"No, I barely use it at all. I'm not a big phone person. Never have been."

"Hmm. Well, I don't have a landline anymore, which complicates things. Should I just write the number down for you?"

"If you don't mind, that would be perfect."

She scribbles her number onto a post-it note then hands it to me.

"Thank you, for this. I've never met anyone quite like you before."

"Well, there have clearly been no silverfoxes in my life, that's for certain!"

We both stand up, and Bella looks at me for a moment as if she is sizing me up. She takes a step forward and embraces me. I'm completely unprepared for the contact.

"Relax, Edward, it's just a friendly hug. I'm not going to accost you."

I didn't realize that I must have been standing there stiffly. I'd hate for her to think I have no interest in touching her. Prompted, I quickly return the hug.

"That's more like it," she says softly.

Before I realize what has happened, she is gone, and my arms feel her loss acutely.

**~xXx~**

When I get home, the first thing I do is place the post-it note with Bella's phone number on it next to the phone. I can't wait to call her, but part of me is sick with anxiety over doing so.

I sit down and review exactly what took place today. In a way, I feel like I'm a kid again, worrying over a high school crush. Bella has evoked feelings in me I didn't know existed. It isn't just that she's beautiful, although she is. There is somehow more than lust at play here. It's as though we have this invisible connection that became evident the moment we saw one another. I wouldn't begin to presume that she feels the same way, but I feel like the center of my universe shifted. In fact, I think I'm going through the same thing her ex-husband did. How did she describe it again?

Tethered.

Yes, that's it—tethered. I'm completely scared to death. I'm not entirely sure I can do this. I've become used to living alone, to the routine of my life. Do I really want to open it up to someone else? To worry over the fear of rejection? Do I even want to think about becoming physically intimate again? It has literally been years since I've had sex, and I cannot imagine how awkward it could be to try that again. It isn't as though I have a lot of experience. God, would I even know what to do? I still beat off on the regular, but adding another person to that equation makes me a little uncomfortable.

As usual, I put the cart before the horse, worrying about all the possibilities. I haven't even been on a date with her, and I'm anxious about having sex. I don't even know if she'd go on a date with me! She did give me her phone number, but perhaps she felt sorry for me and was simply being nice. That's definitely a possibility.

I plant seeds of doubt. For seven days, the post-it note glares at me every time I walk by. It taunts me, reminding me that I have no idea of what to do. I'm very unused to the feeling of being out of control, and it scares the crap out of me. With each passing day, I become more anxious and less certain that I will ever dial her number.

I start to have erotic dreams, which hasn't happened in years. Bella is always the featured star. I awaken most mornings with a hard on, which I take care of in the shower. Although my dick doesn't get as hard as it did when I was younger, and it takes me a little longer to achieve a release, I still feel like an adolescent. I can't believe what is happening to me, but I'm actually a little thrilled to learn that my ability to be sexually attracted to someone is alive and well.

I pick up the phone several times, fully intending to call her, but I can't do it. My fingers even start to dial her number, but they always stop before the end. I end up putting the phone back into its receiver, determined to rehearse what I want to say. Inevitably, the rehearsal doesn't go well then I heave a deep sigh of resignation and decide to try again tomorrow.

Who am I trying to fool? I'm way too old for this dating thing.

**~xXx~**

Two weeks after we first met, it is time to do laundry again. I put it off until the last possible moment, scared stiff I'd see Bella again. Literally. It isn't that I don't want to see her—I positively _crave_ seeing her again—it's just that I have no excuse for not calling her, except for the fact that I'm a total pussy. It kills me to know that I might have hurt her feelings because of my inaction, or that she might be questioning herself because of me.

The last time I did laundry, I went home and wrote up directions so I would know what to do the next time. I even went out and bought dryer sheets, since Bella highly recommended using them. I gather all my laundry supplies, load them into the basket, and set off for the Laundromat, ardently hoping Bella would be nowhere in sight. I simply can't put off the inevitable anymore, as the huge pile of laundry clearly illustrates.

When I walk into the Laundromat, I'm the only person there. No Bella. No sneaky little fuckers (I laugh to myself when I remember the tone of Bella's voice as she said that). I'm incredibly relieved, yet somewhat disappointed. I want to see Bella, but then again, I don't.

I load my clothes into separate washing machines then settle back to read a book I brought with me. Every little movement I see from the large windows at the front of the Laundromat distracts me. I'm completely on edge, my stomach a bundle of nerves. I keep glancing at my watch nervously. I tap my foot on the ground. I roll my eyes at myself.

I heave a huge sigh and look up, noticing something in my peripheral vision.

Bella.

Bella in those black stretchy pants women wear for yoga and a skimpy, close fitting, sleeveless shirt.

Oh, hell.

I watch her approach, and I feel like a kid who needs to be scolded by his parents for looking directly at the sun during an eclipse. You know you shouldn't do it, but you simply cannot look away. I feel my dick stir in my pants in response to her, and I quickly adjust myself.

She looks as fresh and beautiful as I remember. Her whole body beams out happy contentment, and you can just see her body confidence oozing from every pore. It isn't as though she has a perfect figure—we're both past our prime, after all—but she has absolutely no qualms about how she looks, and it is completely refreshing.

Now that I think about it, I don't know if I've ever met a woman who was satisfied with the way she looks before. It seems as though they all want to hide, or condemn, their bodies, when all men want is for them to play up their assets. I spent years with Jessica, who was unhappy with her figure even before she had children, constantly devising ways to hide herself. She wore bland, shapeless clothes from Land's End, which only made her look even older and dowdier than she was. I cannot imagine Bella in Jessica's clothing. It's akin to blasphemy.

Suddenly, our eyes lock on to each other, and my inner musings are stopped short.

Shit.

Then, the unexpected happens. She smiles at me, as though she's greeting a long lost friend.

"Edward!" she beams as she opens the door. She looks genuinely pleased to see me.

"Hello, Bella," I manage to reply, confused by her warm response.

"I was just thinking of you!"

"You were?"

"Yes, I was hoping you would be here. You were such an interesting person to talk to."

I blurt it all out before I have a chance to stop myself. It's plainly obvious how anxious I am.

"I'm so sorry I never called you, Bella. I didn't know what to say, and the longer I waited, the worse it was."

She smiles at me again. _Smiles_. I am the asshole who didn't call her when I said I would, and yet, she smiles.

"You're so funny! Don't you remember? You told me you weren't much of a phone person. I simply assumed you didn't have anything you wanted to say to me. It wasn't as though you were obligated to call me, you know."

Who is this lovely creature, and what type of alien is she? A woman who isn't upset because you don't call her on the phone? I didn't think that was possible. Not only that, she's happy all the time, and appears to be supremely comfortable in her skin, refusing to hide under baggy clothes.

Yes, alien. Definitely alien.

"Believe me, I wanted to. I didn't know what to say. I'm not very good at this sort of thing, and I'm extremely out of practice."

"You don't owe me any explanation."

"But that's just the thing—I _do_ owe you an explanation."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"Don't!"

"Do!"

We stand there, looking at each other, grinning like the Cheshire Cat himself.

"I believe we are at an impasse, Mr. Edward."

"It's Cullen, actually."

"Oh, I like the sound of that. Edward Cullen."

"Yes?"

She slaps my shoulder in response for my cheeky reply.

"What's your last name?"

"It was Black, but I changed it back to my maiden name—Swan."

"I prefer Swan," grateful she didn't have a reminder of her ex every time she wrote her name.

"Call me whatever you like, but we're still at an impasse."

"How about you let me spring for coffee again, once we've dealt with the sneaky little fuckers."

Her melodious laugh fills the room, and fills me with pure and utter joy. She should really think about bottling it, because it spreads instant happiness over anyone it touches.

"Yes, the sneaky little fuckers continue to be lurking, so we'd best wait until all our laundry is finished."

She walks over to the washing machines and starts her laundry. Once the loads have started, she brings her laundry basket over and sits down next to me. I notice some kind of rolled mat sticking out of her basket.

"What is that?" I ask, pointing at it.

"What, this?" she gestures. "It's a yoga mat. I just got done doing yoga at the Senior Center."

I did not need the image of Bella twisted and contorted in my head, because my dick notices things like that, and always wants to respond accordingly. I try to maintain a casual, conversational tone, even though I'm dying inside.

"Oh, you do yoga? That's very good for you."

"Yes, I like to keep active, and it's a great way to maintain flexibility."

Again, I do not need to think about Bella's flexibility, because I'm trying very hard to fight the erection that seems determined to tent my jeans.

"What's wrong, Edward? You look uncomfortable."

Why does she have to be so freaking perceptive?

"No, I'm fine. Please continue."

Except don't mention flexibility. Please, don't mention flexibility.

"You know, I always feel like I'm 25 in my head, but then I get out of bed in the morning and it hits me that I'm not. All those aches and pains. Yoga helps me with all that."

Okay, she didn't say flexibility, but she did mention a bed. Not helping.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. That's one of the reasons I quit being a trauma surgeon—my legs and back would complain vociferously the older I got."

"Your legs look just fine, but maybe you should start coming to yoga with me?"

I let out a loud chuckle. "I'm not very good at that kind of thing."

"Have you ever tried it?"

"Ah, no."

"Well then, maybe you should. Tell you what, I promise to have coffee with you if you promise to do yoga with me."

Hell, no! The last thing I need is to be next to Bella while she's… stretching.

"There's no way you'd have coffee with me otherwise?"

"What, you scared of yoga?"

"Maybe."

"Well, the choice is yours. Coffee for yoga."

I sigh, realizing that while I may embarrass the hell out of myself, I really do want to see her again. Thus, I cave and accept this deal with the devil.

"All right. Coffee for yoga it is."

The alarm on her washer sounds, and she quickly gets up to tend to it. When she does, I watch her ass shamelessly. Such tight black pants. And no visible panty line. Oh, dear god, she's wearing a thong.

Not helping the arousal situation here... Okay, she might be wearing nothing at all. It's a possibility.

_Wrong direction, buddy. Think old lady briefs._

I wonder to myself if perhaps she does that thong thing on purpose, to lure men into her lair. She's like a Black Widow, coaxing my dick to respond when really, it should be behaving itself. I'm old enough to know better.

Bella returns to her chair, pulling out a crossword puzzle. I return to my book, recognizing that the entire time I had been "reading" earlier, I had no recollection of what I'd read. I was so busy waiting for Bella, hoping that she would arrive and that I would see her again, I distracted myself from reading. I grin, shaking my head.

"What are you reading?" She asks, lifting the cover to see the title. "_Water for Elephants_? I've heard of that one. Is it good?"

"It's excellent, yes. I'm really enjoying it, because the main character is an old man in his 90s recollecting the story of when he was younger. I can relate to both the old and the young versions of him."

Especially the parts involving his penis.

"Hmm, I'll have to put that one on my reading list."

Once again, we sit in companionable silence, she with her crossword, I with my book, enjoying each other's physical presence. I hear the buzz from the dryer go off.

"Looks like we are victorious over the sneaky little fuckers once again."

She giggles. "Yep, we did good, captain."

We get our laundry folded and into our cars, and walk to the coffee house.

** ~xXx~**

Somehow, our impromptu coffee date lasts for hours. Neither one of us have any other plans, so we just keep talking. It makes me realize that I can't sit and drink coffee all day like I used to, because the bladder gets a little overactive. Between the two of us, we make frequent restroom stops, and we start to laugh at each other every time one of us scoots out of our seat.

As our rendezvous winds down, Bella asks me to have dinner with her tonight. I very nearly decline, because I'm scared out of my wits that I might want to do something sexual with her, and I don't know if I'm ready for that. It's been so long since I've had sex, and I certainly don't want to disappoint her. I haven't had a new sexual partner since I was 28, for crying out loud. What if I can't please her? For that matter, how the hell do you even please a post-menopausal woman? It's not like I could use Jessica as an example, after all.

Being a doctor, I decide to do what doctors do: Research the possibilities. I fire up my computer, and do a Google search. What I find is of limited use.

How can there be such a dearth of information about pleasing an older woman? I mean, it isn't like we cash in our sexual beings card the minute we turn 50! I already know how much my own sexual responses have changed since I was in my 20s, but there has to be literature about women _somewhere_.

After a great deal of research (and, I admit, fantasies about the things I want to do to Bella), I don't have much, but it's at least a start.

_Women take longer to build up to an orgasm after menopause_.

Well, guys do, too, so I can deal with that.

_Take things slow, and really focus on foreplay_.

My mind strays again, imagining all the things I could do as foreplay, and my dick obeys my thoughts.

_Use plenty of lubricant_.

As if I'm going to try to have sex with Bella and _not_ use lubricant. I could have told you that.

_Use erotic toys and vibrators._

I feel my pulse increase when I read that sentence. Jessica was never anything but missionary position, once-a-week sex, until the once-a-week sex became once-a-month sex, then once-a-year sex, and then none-ever-nohow-noway sex. I've always wanted to play around with toys, but she wouldn't hear of it.

_I bet Bella would love to play with toys._

My dick is suddenly very erect, and, unbelievably, I have to go relieve myself. I make a mental note to bring up the topic of toys with her.

It dawns on me that here I am, researching how to please Bella, and I have no idea if she even wants to be sexual with me. Am I being a typical guy, assuming that a woman's interest in me could only mean she wants to have sex with me? What if she just wants to be friends?

Then she just wants to be friends, and you deal with it. Either way, you are prepared for what happens.

Ugh, that means I need to bring condoms and lubricant with me, just in case? Then it seems like all I want is to get her into bed with me! Which is worse, assuming that we will have sex, or assuming that we won't?

Be prepared.

The Boys Scouts actually know what they're talking about regarding preparation, so I decide to err on the side of being prepared. I stop by the pharmacy on my way to Bella's house, and feel slightly less anxious now that I'm prepared for anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: This is a FGB one-shot written for Litljazzbird. Much thanks for her generous donation to the cause.**

**My sincere thanks to Justice_Aussie for pre-reading and keeping me on the ledge. I really went nutters over this chapter.**

**Nurse Kimpy snuggles go to ladyeire72 who pre-read WHILE SHE WAS SICK. I almost feel guilty about that, really. I PROMISE I didn't twist her arm. **

**Thank you to my beta, TFX, for always helping me to see the silver lining, and for also reminding me to keep my New Year's resolution.**

**CHAPTER TWO**

I park the Volvo in Bella's driveway and my hand slips off the door handle as I close it. My palms must be sweaty. Great. I wipe them on my pants to dry them off. I feel like a 16 year-old kid on his first date, all nervous energy and sexual tension.

From the exterior, the house screams out that it belongs to Bella. It's a little cottage with vines crawling up its sides. Beautiful flowers are blooming everywhere. It looks happy, just like her.

As I approach the door, I take a deep breath to steady myself. You can do this, Cullen. It is just a dinner date, nothing more.

I lift my hand to knock on the door, but it swings open before I get the chance, so I stumble into Bella unwittingly. Her giggle lets me know that she's all right, but still. I've barely even gotten in the door and I'm already having issues!

The warm, radiant smile on Bella's face acts to calm my nerves almost instantaneously. I practically dive into her to deliver my standard greeting—a kiss on the hand. It's very romantic and refined. I pretend that I'm going to shake her hand then I reach out and kiss it instead. It's old fashioned, I realize, but I think it lets a lady know that she's special without being overly forward. When I look up into her face, she is flushed with rosy red cheeks, and it's breathtaking.

"Well hello again, Fantastic Mr. Silverfox," she says, in reply to my kiss. "Always such a charmer."

I have a bouquet of birds of paradise blooms for her. I was going to get the gold standard of roses, but I saw these and knew I simply had to get them. They are incredibly colorful and unique, just like her. I lift them up for her to see.

"Can we get these in some water, perhaps?"

"Of course. Follow me."

We walk down a hallway lined with framed photos of her children, family, friends. It's very clear that these individuals are the center of her world; they're displayed quite prominently. I compare it to my own home, which is very modern, with clean, angular lines, and somewhat stoic; it strikes me that our homes are very similar to our personalities.

We walk into the kitchen and she grabs a vase from a cabinet. She has to stand on her toes in order to reach it, so I get a lovely view of her behind. She's wearing a simple, colorful summer dress that happens to accent all her curves. For some reason, I feel an urge to walk up behind her and nuzzle her neck, but I'm able to fight it off. Clearly, my nerves are messing with everything. I need some way to calm down.

Bella turns back to me, and I hand the bouquet over to her. Something tells me that she will do a much better job arranging them than would I.

"Thank you for these, Edward. They're lovely. Birds of paradise are my favorite—such rich color, and they look just like exotic birds."

"They reminded me of you."

She replies with just a satisfied smile.

"Well, as you can see, I've already got my glass of wine. What can I get for you? I have red or white, so take your pick."

Hmm, this is going to be awkward. As a trauma surgeon, I rarely drank alcohol, because I never knew when I would be called in at the last minute. Honestly, the most carried away I ever got was when Jessica and I would split a beer on New Year's Eve. Since I retired and Jess passed, I never got around to changing my habits.

A little alcohol might be good for me, since I'm as nervous as a ten year old at his first piano recital.

"I'll take whatever you're having, but a small glass, please. I don't indulge very often."

It isn't really a lie, just a stretching of the truth. I don't want her to feel embarrassed.

Within moments, I have my own glass of wine. When she gives it to me, her fingertips brush along my hand, and I feel like I'm on fire. My nerve endings are suddenly alive. Her eyes dart up to mine, and I know I'm not the only one who felt it.

"The lasagna has a while to cook. Do you mind hanging out in the living room for a bit?"

"The only place I want to be is next to you, so that's fine."

"Haven't I scolded you about flattery before, Cullen?"

"I must be a slow learner."

"Well, you did get your laundry right the very first time you attempted in on your own, so I don't buy that argument."

"It helps when you write everything down so you have a cheat sheet to follow."

I watch her take a sip of wine from her glass, puckering her lips a bit before she swallows. She is so incredibly sensual, but I don't think she really has any idea. If I were 20 years younger, I would have been all over her by now. I guess the one good thing about my age is that it makes me more of a gentleman.

"How old are you, Edward?"

As always, she surprises me.

"I just turned 65 in June."

"A Gemini, huh?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And a war baby."

"Now you're just trying to make me feel old!"

"Pffft. Please. I'm 60, so it's not like I'm the jailbait contingent over here!"

"Well, then, it's a good thing I didn't meet you when I was in high school, or I would have gotten myself into trouble." Damn, I shouldn't have said that. It makes me sound lascivious.

"Would you, now? What sort of trouble are we talking about here?" Bella's tone is all together flirty, and I like it.

"In all honestly, I probably would have just admired you from afar. I've always been a little reserved."

"I probably would have done the same thing. What a pair we would have made, huh?"

"I was actually a very serious student. I was the one who was always studying. Had you been present, I would have found myself profoundly distracted."

"What year did you graduate?"

"1964."

"So you were a senior when Kennedy was shot?"

"Yes, I was. I have always remembered that day so clearly."

"Me, too—it's one of the first times I took notice of the world outside of myself. I was only 13."

"I was sitting in the cafeteria eating my lunch when the principal announced over the intercom that 'President Kennedy has been shot.' That brief statement was it, no other details. Nothing. We looked around at each other in confusion. A few minutes later, the bell for next period sounded, and we filed off to class. As I walked into my English class, my teacher was crying. We sat there, in silence, looking straight ahead. The only sound I heard was her sniffles. A few minutes later, the principal was on the intercom once again, telling us that President Kennedy was dead. We were released from school immediately, and I walked home by myself, stunned."

"They didn't even tell us Kennedy died at my school, just that he had been wounded and we were all being sent home for the day. My mom picked me up, sobbing; she cried for the next three days straight. We were all glued to the TV set the entire time. She screamed when John John saluted his father's casket."

"By the time MLK and Bobby Kennedy were killed, I felt like, 'Who's next? Are they going to kill everyone who could possibly make our world better?' I felt so jaded."

"Those two assassinations were during my senior year, and everyone I knew was incensed. I was so thrilled when Bobby Kennedy entered the presidential race, even though it was so late in the game. He made me feel so full of hope and promise, like there really was a chance to make a difference. I think my heart kind of broke the day he was shot."

"I was just finishing my undergrad at Northwestern, getting ready for my finals when I heard the news."

"Every year after that felt like some new, earth-shattering event would every summer after that. The moonwalk and Woodstock in 1969, Kent State in 1970, Watergate break-in in 1972, Nixon resigned in 1974. It felt like one big, long, depressing shit show."

"You know, it's kind of sad, but I just now realized how much I missed out on while I was in medical school and residency—I know all those events happened, but it's almost like I was in this separate dream world. I went from the OR to bed and back to the OR, and have little memory of anything else. I made me so insulated from outside events. How sad is that?"

"There were so many things to worry about, like the Three Mile Island disaster and the energy crisis. Remember the huge campaign to turn off all your lights to conserve energy? Or when they adopted daylight savings time? OPEC suddenly became a four-letter word for most Americans! By the end of the 70s, I was so busy with my babies—Leah and Seth—that I was just as out of touch as you felt. In a different way, of course, but still out of touch. "

"Emmett and Alice were born in the Nixon/Watergate years. They were still in high school when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. They honestly have no recollection of the Cold War, when the world was held captive by the threat of Communism."

"Oh my god, yes! They don't understand why the Cuban Missle Crisis was such a big deal. Or the Olympic games, how the Russians and Soviet-bloc countries would rack up these huge medal victories, and everyone knew they were cheating with steroids, but it could never be proven?"

We both stop our history lesson to simply take a breath and process the dredged up memories that make us both a bit introspective for a moment. I take a look around the room, and it is just as much eclectic Bella as everything else I've seen. She has a lot of sculpture around, primarily Rodin. When I was in college, I spent a semester in Paris, and I visited the museums daily; the Musee Rodin was one of my favorites. I especially enjoy his sculpture called, "The Kiss." Bella has a model of it on the coffee table.

"I see you are a fan of Rodin."

"Indeed I am; how do you know so much about art, Mr. Trauma Surgeon?"

"I lived in Paris for a while when I was in college, and I love Rodin. In fact, 'The Kiss' is my favorite."

She brings her hands up to her heart as though it is going to break. "Oh, be still my heart!"

"What?"

"Do you not realize how romantic that was? You admitted that you love Rodin, and his quintessential piece of work is your favorite? I don't think it gets any better than that."

I clear my throat, embarrassed. "I wasn't trying to be romantic, just honest."

"Too bad. It was romantic anyhow."

We sit there in silence, looking at each other. Neither one of us has the courage to speak. When the oven alarm sounds, it forces us both to jump, and breaks the magic. Bella stands up to walk to the kitchen, and I choose to follow her. I guess I just made a split decision that I'd rather be nearer to her than far.

She opens the oven to take a look at the lasagna, then removes it and places it on the stove to cool.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, the table is all set, and all I need to do is get the salad and breadsticks." She grabs a salad bowl from the fridge and hands it to me. "Why don't you put this on the table and sit down. Do you need more wine?"

Knowing that my face is completely flushed red from the wine, I understand it's the last thing I need right now. I feel pleasantly calm and happy, maybe even a bit silly. It must be the wine's effects, but I'm not fighting it. I'm actually enjoying it.

"Sure, I'd love some more!" I reply heartily. I briefly wonder if I'm going to regret this tomorrow. Aw hell, who cares? I'm actually having fun.

Bella arrives at the table with breadsticks then goes back for the lasagna.

"I wasn't sure if you eat meat or not, so I decided to make spinach lasagna. I hope that isn't a problem. I should have asked, but it was such short notice."

"_You_ could feed me cat food and I'm sure it would be delicious."

Bella looks me straight in the eye. "You feeling all right, Mr. Silverfox?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, you were just waxing poetic about eating cat food."

I start to chuckle at that, and the chuckle soon builds into a full rolling boil of laughter.

"Edward? Are you okay?"

"I've never been better. Not once in my entire life have I been this better."

"I think I'm going to get you a glass of water for your dinner."

She turns and walks into the kitchen, and I watch her ass sway as she leaves. I wonder what she would feel like pressed up against me while we danced.

"Here, I brought you some water. Perhaps you should stick with that for a little bit. I have to admit, though you have a cute as hell drunk grin."

"I'm not drunk! I'm just very relaxed."

"Uh-huh. That's just another way of saying that you're drunk. Drink the water, Edward—I don't want to have to use my stern voice with you."

I follow her suggestion then I take a bite of her lasagna.

"Bella Swan, this is the most fantastic thing I've ever eaten."

"Really? It's just spinach lasagna, for heaven's sake."

"I don't care, it's phenomenal. Tell me, are you exceptionally wonderful at everything?"

Her joyous laugh brings a silly smile to my face.

"What?"

"That only proves that you're drunk, Edward!"

"Why would you say that? Your lasagna is like manna from heaven. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life and be just fine."

She shakes her head, smiling while she does so. "Right. Now you sound like someone who wants to get laid."

I choke on my wine, and sense that my cheeks are flushed; I hope she dismisses it as being caused by the alcohol.

Her eyes widen in response. "Did I—I mean… are you not interest—um, never mind…" She quickly turns away from the table.

I rush to grab her hand and reassure her. "Bella, you may have surprised and startled me, but I should hope that by now it is clear that I'm very interested in you. I'm not always very adept at showing it." I bring her hand to my lips in reassurance.

I watch Bella's cheeks and chest flush in front of me, and I feel certain that she is as attracted to me as I am to her.

"I'm pretty out of practice with all this stuff. I haven't really been out with a man since my divorce. I was too busy getting my kids through high school and college to think about dating. Once they graduated, I may have had the time to date, but not the inclination. Maybe it was simply that I didn't feel confident enough to find a new partner."

"You can't be serious! I mean, you must have had so many men who were attracted to you!"

She snorts in response. "Uh, yeah, fending off the men has never been a particular problem for me. No one has ever asked me on a date, Edward. No one."

"It has to be because you simply didn't take notice of their gestures. There is no way guys haven't been wanting you."

"Remember about the flattery? It will get you everything you ever wanted."

"And what is it that you want, exactly, Bella Swan?"

She swallows, pausing for a moment. Her eyes dart away from mine, and I hear her whisper, almost imperceptibly, "You."

"Me? Really?"

"Of course, Fantastic Mr. Silverfox. You're gorgeous, sweet, and intelligent. How could I not want you?"

"Well, it isn't like I have a lot of experience. I feel very awkward. There are plenty of reasons as to why you wouldn't want me."

I hear Bella take in a deep breath, and she looks me straight in the eye.

"Edward, we're older now. We have more years behind us than we are likely to have ahead of us. Let's not waste a moment of the time we have left being coy or indirect.

"You're an incredibly sexy man. I don't know what you looked like when you were younger, but in my eyes, you're amazing _today_. In some ways, you might even be sexier, because you've lived and loved, you've had incredible, life-changing experiences, and all that makes you better. The wisdom of a lifetime of experience only enhances your ability in bed, you know?"

Bella might as well have been stroking my cock just now, because her words have the same effect. I want her, so badly. More than I've wanted anyone for years. It's such a rush to experience desire this strong.

"It's been a long time for both of us, Bella. Are you sure this is what you want? Am I the one you want?"

"From the very first moment I saw you at the Laundromat, you're the one I've wanted in my bed."

"I don't want you to think I'm being presumptuous, but I did come prepared just in case we decided to… um… get involved."

A glorious smile lights up her face. "I would expect nothing less, Dr. Cullen. I'd rather you be prepared and presumptuous than the other way around. In fact, being prepared is kind of… _hot._"

I pat my jacket pocket to ensure that the condoms and lube I bought earlier are still there; my search proves to me that they are.

Bella suddenly yanks me to my feet using my collar as leverage, and moves her hands to my face. "Will you please kiss me with those wonderful lips of yours? I've been imagining what they might feel like on mine."

I don't have time to think or to answer; I simply move toward her lips and am instantly rewarded. She is so incredibly soft and warm, and she tastes like red wine. She nibbles on my lower lip, and I open my mouth to her tongue. I had completely forgotten what real kissing was like, and I'm lost in the sensation.

I'm able to pull myself away from her for a moment. "May I take you to your bed, Bella?"

"Please," she says with a hint of neediness behind it.

She takes my hand and leads me upstairs, where we stop in front of her bed.

I remove my jacket, laying it on the end of the bed carefully. I turn to her, and can see the desire on her face. It makes her even more beautiful than usual.

"You're by far the most beautiful person I've ever seen, because your inner beauty is even lovelier than your physical features," I explain. "I'm going to let your hair down."

I remove the clasp, and her hair comes raining down over her shoulders. I love that she didn't bend to society's unwritten rule that older women must have short hair—what a ridiculous notion. It would be criminal to cut these phenomenal waves of hers. I give her a gentle kiss on the top of her head to convey how much I adore her.

I put my hand on her zipper when she stops me. "No—I want to remove your shirt, first."

Like I'm going to argue with her over such details. "Okay."

She glides her two fingers down the trail of buttons to where it disappears into my pants then runs them back up to the top of my shirt. Slowly, her thin, delicate fingers unbutton my shirt in a pattern designed to drive me insane. She undoes a button then kisses the newly exposed skin lightly. When she reaches the last button before my fly, there's no way she can fail to notice the effect of her ministrations on me. My heart starts beating wildly, not knowing how she will respond to my erection. Bella pulls the rest of my shirt out, finishing with the buttons. Now it's back to my turn, and her zipper.

Before I get the chance to spin her around, I feel her palm run over my erection, and I gasp.

"I'm sorry—was… was it wrong?"

"God, no, Bella. It felt amazing. I just wasn't expecting that."

She smiles at me then slides my shirt off my body. "Good," she replies with genuine satisfaction.

"Okay, _now_ it's my turn."

She giggles while I turn her around so I can unzip her dress. I decide to follow the pattern she established with me, and I unzip it slowly. As I work my way down, I kiss her skin underneath as it is revealed. The zipper ends near her tailbone. I rub my thumb in light circles over the area, and Bella arches her back in response to my touch. Standing back up, I lift her dress by its straps and drop it to the floor.

Now that her skin is almost fully exposed, I take a moment to run my fingertips lightly over her back. As if the dress didn't engage me enough, she's been hiding one of her thongs underneath. Leaning over her shoulder, I grasp the sides of her thong in my hand and murmur, "Do you have any idea at all what these do to me? I saw you folding them the very first day and I've been wondering what they look like on you ever since."

Bella slides her small hands over mine, nudging them to rest on her bare cheeks. I don't care how old I am—a woman's curvy ass will be forever desirable in my mind. Especially Bella's curvy ass.

Without taking my hands off her body, I glide my palms over to her stomach, moving toward her breasts. As I cover them with my hands, she sighs. I'm delighted when I feel her nipples react to my touch. She leans her head back over my shoulder, giving me an excellent vantage point of her cleavage. I notice that the bra she's wearing looks like something a younger woman might wear, none of the utilitarian models that Jessica wore after she delivered our children. I never understood why her bras had to be so… unappealing. They always made me think of the school lunch ladies. Once again, she was adamant that mothers had no business being sexy, but Bella clearly graduated from a different school of thought, for which I am extremely grateful.

As my hands familiarize themselves with her skin, I realize that everything about touching a woman is so different compared to when I was younger. Back then, I was always so anxious to move on to having sex. Foreplay was necessary, of course, but always abbreviated. Now that I have Bella in my arms, I want to spend hours learning every nook and cranny of her body, kissing, licking, sucking, exploring. As I start to move toward the bed to lay her down, she stops me.

"You're still dressed. I need to see you, Edward. Please."

"Do you want me to do it?"

"May I?"

"Absolutely."

She grabs my belt loops and pulls me over to where she is seated on the edge of the bed. She stops to palm my erection once again, and it feels incredible.

Without further ado, she unzips my pants then pulls them to the floor along with my boxers. I step out of them and put my hands under her arms, so she'll stand up. I slip off her thong, unclasp her bra, and we're finally naked in front of each other. She's more amazing than I ever imagined.

"Your entire body is perfect, Edward. I knew you would be," she says, a little shyly. "I told you that you're a silverfox."

"I think you may be the sexiest woman I've ever seen naked."

"Edward Cullen, I'm nothing more than a happy, old, wrinkled, saggy woman. There is nothing remotely sexy about me."

"Don't you dare say that. When I look at you, I see a strong, wise, sexy, intelligent, witty woman. I see a face that displays its wrinkles proudly, due to the many smiles that have graced it."

I give her an affirming kiss on the mouth, so she understands the truth to my words.

"I see arms that have carried babies and loads of laundry. I see a pair of shoulders accustomed to carrying the weight of the world."

I kiss her arms, then her shoulders.

"I see a pair of beautiful breasts that have nursed two children and sparked love affairs."

I take the time to cup her breast then suck her nipple into my mouth. I lavish an equal amount of attention on each so neither one feels left out.

"I see a gently rounded belly that bore two babies and isn't afraid of enjoying the finer things in life, including frequent belly laughs."

My hands skim across her abdomen and I bend down to give it a soft kiss.

"I see long, lean limbs that stretch and bend, carrying your beautiful frame through life's many events. I want to feel these strong legs wrapped around my waist when we join together."

I run my hands up and down her legs, giving each thigh its own kiss.

"Your body shows its age with dignity and poise. It is ready to bear all things, at any moment it might be needed. What I see in you is the personification of very best kind of woman, nothing less. You're beautiful. You're sexy. End of story."

"I've heard that the mind is the most important part of sexual attraction and arousal. In fact, it feels like you just had sex with my brain. Will you have sex with my body, too? Please?"

"Every good girl gets what she wants when she uses the magic word."

"Okay, let me get my box of tricks."

"Box of tricks?"

"Toys?"

I'm momentarily confused. Toys?

She says it a little more firmly. "SEX toys!"

"Oh! Ah, I didn't think women your age did that sort of thing…" I hedge, a little surprised that my suspicions have turned out to be correct. She _does_ like to play with toys after all.

"This one sure does. You know, I've found that as I got older, it's not as easy for me to have orgasms, and vibrators are great little tools to use."

"Well, to be honest, I've never used them before."

"Hang on a second… you mean you lived through the sexual revolution and you've never used sex toys? How is that even possible?"

"I had a wife who was never interested in anything adventurous. She balked at even wearing sexy lingerie."

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry."

"I'm very interested in learning how, though, especially if it will add to your pleasure. You'll teach me?"

"Believe me, it will magnify our _mutual_ pleasure."

Bella gets up from the bed and returns with a small, pink suitcase. She sits down cross-legged, suddenly looking all serious business.

"When Jake and I got divorced, I knew I needed to be in charge of my own sexual pleasure. I wasn't going to let my lady bits atrophy simply because I was no longer married. Listen and learn, Edward. I have some friends to acquaint you with; we're going to have a threesome."

I must have a concerned or mortified look on my face, because Bella suddenly drops everything and puts her hands on my cheeks.

"Oh, don't worry, I didn't mean a real threesome—I meant a threesome with one of my closest friends, the Eroscillator."

She pulls out a bronze-colored stick and pops on a tip that looks like a mini marshmallow.

Is she kidding me? A marshmallow is supposed to make sex better?

She sets it aside and grabs a large bottle. "A post-menopausal woman's other BFF, Liquid Silk."

"I do know that good lubricant is very important," I choke out, anxious to let her know I've done my homework.

Bella must genuinely like me. She even smiles sweetly at my word vomit.

"Here, feel it," she says, handing the gadget to me. "Go ahead, turn it on."

I turn it on; it's incredibly light, but powerful. I can see the appeal instantly. While I'm investigating, I can see Bella doing something in my peripheral vision.

"Can I try something? Do you trust me?"

"Yes. I absolutely I trust you."

"Okay, you're going to get to experience this first hand. I'm going to lube you up, all right?"

"I will never say no to your hands on my erection. Never."

She bends forward and whispers into my ear, "You can call it your hard on, Edward, and I won't be offended. In fact, I'm about to rub lube all over your hard cock. What do you think of that?"

I think I just died and went to heaven, that's what I think about that.

"Mmm, your cock is amazing. Lay back for me, please."

I follow her instructions, putting my hands behind my head so I can watch what she's doing.

"While you may have experienced vanilla ice cream sex in the past, that's all gone now. Tonight, you are going to get the Lollapalooza, and you'll never want to go back. I promise."

She wraps her hand around my cock, squeezing tightly, gliding up and down in slow, careful, deliberate strokes. It feels incredible, but I'm even more aroused by watching her watch me. She has a look of intense concentration mixed with unmistakable lust, and it's incredibly hot.

"All right, I'm going to put the fingertip on the end of your cock, so you can feel how intense this little devil is. Ready?"

I nod my head vigorously.

As it touches my skin, I'm unprepared for how amazing it feels. It's so gentle, yet so potent, and I can feel myself grow harder almost immediately. I gasp in response to the feeling of total, unadulterated pleasure.

"I know, right? It's amazing. I can actually experience _multiple_ orgasms with this thing. At _my_ age!"

The thought of Bella using this wand on herself excites me almost more than I can stand. I simply have to see that.

"Can—I mean, is it all right if… "

"Do you want to watch?"

"Yes, I really do."

"I tell you what—why don't you put some Liquid Silk on me, and I'll use the wand on myself while you work me over," she says, handing me the bottle.

"This Liquid Silk, it's good? I mean, a good brand?"

"I swear by it. It's the closest thing to my natural lubrication. Plus, it lasts a long time. You'll see," she winks at me.

"I kind of feel like I'm going back to medical school."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all; I am a doctor, after all. I can't believe I didn't know all this stuff already."

"Hey, it isn't like you and Jess were awful—you guys were together for a long time, and that isn't a very easy accomplishment, especially these days. Now, you just have the chance to learn about new, different experiences. Not necessarily better, or worse, just different. So you didn't know about it. Now you do. Problem solved, right?"

"Right…"

"Hey, wait a minute—we just got off on the Mars exit, didn't we? I seem to remember that our bargain was me using the Eroscillator on myself while Fantastic Mr. Silverfox works me over simultaneously…"

I groan at the visual that creates in my head, anxious to get started.

I squirt some lube in my hand, rubbing to warm it up before I touch her.

"You have a very good bedside manner, doctor. I can't tell you how many cold hands and speculums I've endured throughout my life."

I rub my slick hands over her labia first, ensuring they are completely covered. Carefully, I insert two of my fingers into her, twisting them around inside. I take my other hand and coat her clit, which she takes as her cue to start up the Eroscillator and put it to work where my hand left off.

My fingers are still deep inside her when she starts to moan. I am in complete and utter awe watching her; I've never seen anything like this in my life. She is letting loose with such wild abandon, no hint of embarrassment or remorse. Not that she should feel that way; I'm just used to my experiences with Jessica. It is a real shame that she never learned how to loosen up. I have the feeling it would have done her a world of good, but that's all water under the bridge now anyhow. I turn my attention back to the incredible woman coming undone before my very eyes.

"Edward, I want you to curve your fingers upward, towards my G-spot."

I follow her instructions, diligently trying to find the elusive spot. When she gasps suddenly and arches her back, I get the idea that I may have found what I was looking for. Suddenly, I feel her walls contracting around me.

I amazed to realize that I just helped Bella have an orgasm. I may just be a sex god after all.

Watching her writhe under my fingertips is nothing short of mystical. As she slowly relaxes, I gently remove the Eroscillator from her grasp and turn it off. I lie down next to her and pull her into my body to rest for a moment. I'm in no hurry.

"I've never actually seen a woman orgasm like that before. I feel like I just had a religious experience."

"Hmm, I don't know about religious; there was something all together sinful about feeling so incredible."

We lay together for a moment, appreciating the sensation of bare skin against bare skin. I had forgotten how wonderful it feels.

"Ready for round two, Mr. Silverfox?"

I don't really know how to say what I need to say—no matter how you slice it, it's awkward to talk about safety and protection.

"Um… this feels weird to say, but it needs to be done. I want you to know that I haven't had any partner except my wife since we got married, so if you are concerned about STDs, I'm clean. I brought some condoms just in case; the choice is yours. I know you said you haven't been with anyone either, so I wanted to give you that information."

"Spoken like a true, pragmatic gentleman. I would expect nothing less. Thank you for thinking of me. I think we'll be all right without any protection. We're both clean."

Bella turns to grab some more lube, and spreads it over my softened cock. It doesn't take much stimulation before I'm genuinely ready for her.

"Do you have any idea how much I want you, Bella?"

"Why don't you show me?"

I don't waste any time showing her how special she is. I deliver kisses all over her breasts, taking her nipples into my mouth and sucking them into stiff peaks. She feels alive underneath me, an active and willing participant in this pleasure. I had no idea verbal feedback could be so… _stimulating._ I quickly learn that she likes to talk dirty and god, it's arousing.

Bella works her fingers through my hair, yanking the roots, and it feels so savage and raw. I continue to move my mouth down her body, and her fingers remain connected to me, almost as if she is leading the way, showing me where I need to be. When I reach her pussy, I start to explore her tentatively, and she presses my face into her lips, begging for more direct contact. Naturally, I oblige.

I use my tongue to explore her crevices. When I finally reach her clit, her legs involuntarily contract, locking me into place.

So, oral sex is definitely a green zone…

I take my time, circling her clit with my tongue, nibbling on it, sucking it into my mouth. I'm simply appreciating how soft and velvety her skin feels on my tongue. I'm also appreciating the sounds squeaking out of her. I never imagined it could enhance the eroticism, but it genuinely does.

She tugs at my hair again, and I look up at her. It appears as though I got a little lost in what I was doing. She's smirking at my enthusiasm.

"That was incredible, but I want a turn, too."

She pulls me up towards her mouth, delivering a wonderfully passionate kiss. She manages to turn our bodies so that she is now on top of me, and she slides herself over my hard cock. We both moan into each other's mouth at the sensation. Instinctively, my hands reach for hips, and we continue to slide over each other.

"…want you inside… fuck, so hard…"

I have to say that I concur. She breaks apart from my lips and seeks out our partner in crime, the Eroscillator.

"Are you ready?"

"Fuck, yes."

Words are overrated. We stop using them all together.

Bella grasps the base of my cock, holding it steady, and slowly slides down. As she moves, she lets out a series of gasps and sighs that only makes me want her more. When I'm fully inside of her, she pauses. I hear her fire up the Eroscillator, and she moves it over her clit.

"FUCK!"

"You can feel it, can't you?"

I'm incapable of speech. Yes, I can fucking feel it, and I don't know that I've ever experienced anything more arousing in my life. I'm buried deep in her pussy, the Eroscillator is working its magic on both of us, and Bella starts to move. At first, it is only slight movements of her hips, but my cock is still fully inside of her. Gradually, she starts to move up and down my shaft, and it is pure bliss.

Now, I'm a guy who has a great relationship with his dick. From the very first orgasm I had, I discovered that we are allies in our hedonism. When he's happy, I'm happy. I beat off regularly, just as I have from the time I was 13. While I love the feeling of my hand moving on my cock, nothing I've ever done before—and I mean _nothing_—compares to this threeway I'm having with Bella and the Eroscillator. The added bonus to all this is that I get to watch her moving over me, coming undone, and it's because _my_ cock is inside her. I'm afraid I might sprain something when I come, because what I feel building in my balls is going to be an orgasm of epic proportions.

"Edw—Ed… E… I'm com…OH!" she interrupts herself with a loud scream.

Oh dear god, she's going to kill me.

Her pussy begins to contract around me, along with the buzz from the Eroscillator, and I'm gone. I grab her hips and slam my dick into her as deep as I possibly can. Suddenly, Bella's bed is awash in chaos—screams, moans, cursing, grunting, sweating, bodies slamming.

Bella slowly devolves into little whimpers, until finally she is completely spent. She collapses on top of me, nuzzling her face into my chest. My softened cock slides out of her, but our bodies continue to be tangled together. We relax, listening to our breathing pattern slow down simultaneously. I stroke her soft hair, every now and then giving her kisses on the top of her head or her forehead. I have no words to describe what just took place, and eternal gratitude to her for showing me such enormous physical pleasure.

After a few minutes of silence, Bella pops up her head, looking at me, and says, "Covers." I don't need to ask for elaboration, I know what she means. We untangle ourselves momentarily, pulling back the covers just enough so we can bury ourselves beneath them. She cozies up to me, and I pull my arms around her to spoon.

Since we are incapable of deep conversation at the moment, she says simply, "Stay?"

I answer her just as tersely, "Of course."

The last thing I remember before falling asleep is how natural and right being together with her feels. I'm beginning to think that perhaps she was the one meant for me all along, and I'm simply grateful to have her here, lying next to me, part of my life now.

**END NOTE: **

**The hand kissing gesture/wording comes straight from Rob Pattinson's Father. You can see footage of Rob reading an e-mail from his Father on the Tonight Show on my LJ page: kimpy0464 DOT livejournal DOT com**

**A special thanks to Wisdomous, who introduced me to the Eroscillator. These beauties should be handed out to every woman at birth, really. They're amazing.**

**Bella's toy box can be found at foryournymphomation DOT com. **


	3. Chapter 3

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: This story was originally a FGB one-shot written for Litljazzbird. Because of the reaction it got from readers, I decided to turn it into a little novella.**

**Thank you to my beta, Lupin4Tonks, who sticks with me through thick and thin.**

**Things I own: A filthy mind, even when I think of older people having sex. I'm positively incorrigible.**

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER THREE**

I awake suddenly at 3:00 AM, just like always, because I need to pee. That's the most annoying thing about getting older, I think. I just want a decent night's sleep for crying out loud.

It takes me a moment before I'm awake enough to realize that I'm not in my bed. Where the hell am I? It's the smell that gets me first.

_Bella Swan._

I'm at Bella's house. In Bella's bed. With her naked body tangled up in mine.

I'm the luckiest bastard on the planet.

Bella must have felt me move, because she rolls even closer, mumbling.

"You okay?" she squeaks out.

"Yeah, gotta pee."

"The bathroom is—"

"I remember," I finish her sentence, and lean over to kiss her head. She gives me a contented _hmmm_ sound and I can't help but smile at her.

I relieve myself, but it takes a lot longer than it used to, which is another annoying thing about getting older. God, my list of annoyances is getting long. Then I remember one thing that isn't annoying in the least, and it erases all my grumblings: I had sex with Bella Swan last night. I got _laid_.

I kind of want to high five myself because I can't believe that it happened. Not only did I have sex for the first time in years, I got to have sex with Bella, who's smoking hot.

Like I said, luckiest bastard on the planet.

Suddenly, I don't have a care in this world, because a beautiful, soft, naked woman is waiting in bed for me. I can't get back under the covers fast enough. I pull her body into mine, and we snuggle as closely as we can get.

"Edward, your feet are freezing." Bella grumbles into my skin.

"That's why I'm in bed with you, so you can keep them warm."

I marvel at yet another way in which Bella is so different from Jess. My wife was all about heavy duty flannel nightgowns that hid her body. I could have begged for years to get her to sleep naked with me, but that never happened—not even once. As we dozed off last night, Bella told me she's never slept in pajamas, and that fact alone made me want to sleep with her every night for the rest of my life. How is it that she's so perfect for me? As I mull over the differences between Bella and Jess, I fall back asleep easily.

The next time I awaken, it's once again in response to the call of nature. This time, however, I find that it's my morning wood, which is wonderfully sandwiched in the crevice of Bella's ass. I can't even remember the last time that happened, if ever. I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into my body for added friction.

"Mmm, what a great way to wake up. Good morning to you, too," Bella croons at me.

She turns her body so that we're face to face, and gives me a lingering kiss. When I smile while our mouths are still connected, she pulls back. "What?"

I just shake my head. "I couldn't even begin to detail it all. It would take hours."

She places her palm on my cheek, rubbing it gently with her thumb. "Well, I'm not going anywhere."

"Really? You want to know?"

"Of course I want to know. When it comes to you, I want to know everything."

"I would have been pummeled by Jess if I had dared to share my morning wood with her. Also, I've never slept with a naked woman until last night. And morning breath kisses were strictly forbidden."

Her face looks crushed. "Oh, Edward, I'm sorry. It's such a natural pleasure, to enjoy skin on skin snuggling under the covers. I can't believe I'm the first naked woman in your bed."

"Well, technically, you're the first naked woman I've enjoyed in _your _bed. We still need to christen mine."

She beams a smile at me. "I'd love to have that honor, Mr. Cullen."

"It would be _my_ honor, entirely. As soon as possible."

"What kind of plans do you have today?"

"Me? Nothing that I have to get done. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that we're going to spend the entire day in bed together. Then we'll spend the entire night in your bed."

"You mean literally spend the day in bed?"

"Don't look so worried about it; it's really not that big of a deal. C'mon, break the rules." Bella nudges me, laughing at my facial expression.

I'm a little aghast at the idea. This isn't how I was raised. This isn't how I lived my life. Do nothing? All day? It feels a little wrong. It's at that moment when it hits me—Bella Swan makes me feel positively _naughty_. I catch myself in a chuckle.

"So, we're breaking all the rules now?" I smirk.

"Rules were made to be broken."

"Really? You want to do this?"

"Yeah, we can eat in bed, watch some movies, fool around. Just relax and enjoy the pleasure of being able to spend a day in bed."

"Who are you and what planet are you from? I'm pretty sure you're not human."

"Well, you checked out all my bits and pieces last night, and didn't seem to have any problems with it then."

"I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. I'm going to need to do a much more thorough assessment before we have a final ruling on the matter."

"Before we do that, I need to pee, though."

I watch her walk naked from the bed to the bathroom, and my morning wood reappears. Getting used to someone who is so comfortable with their nudity is going to take some adjustment. At least 15 minutes or so, anyhow. I'm still watching as she returns to me, but the front of her is decidedly a better view than the rear.

"What?" she says, suspiciously.

"I'm just marveling over the fact that I got to spend the night with a woman who walks around in the nude and lets me leer at her with lustful intentions."

"Me? Heck, what about you?" she launches herself on top of me, straddling my midsection. "I'm not going to lie to you, Edward, you really rock the geezer sexhair look like it's going out of style. One might think that you did it on purpose." She promptly messes it up further, as if to prove a point.

"You're not going to convince me that I'm sexier than you are. That's just crazy talk."

"I should be saying the same thing to you. I mean, seriously, no matter what your age, I would have marveled at you. If you're Silverfox now, I can't even begin to imagine how beautiful you were when you were younger."

"I have photographic evidence at my house, and I'll gladly show it to you. I was the most awkward, gangly boy around. Even in college. That's one of the reasons I felt so happy with Jess—I was just relieved someone wanted me."

Bella snorts, then starts to giggle maniacally at my statement. I feel a little bit defensive about her reaction to my confession. "Why is that funny?"

"Edward, Edward, Edward… I'm absolutely certain that you are your own worst critic. There's just no way that you weren't always this hot," she explains. "But never mind that, I'm hungry. How about I round up some breakfast and then we get back to our day in bed?"

I slide myself out of bed. "Ready to assist you."

"I was going to get it, but heck, if you want to help, I'm not going to stop you."

She starts to walk toward the door and I freeze. "Wait, you're going downstairs with no clothes on?"

"Yes, it's my house. No one else lives here. If the neighbors get their jollies from seeing me in my birthday suit, I really don't give a rat's ass."

I smile at her in response because really, what can you say to something like that? This woman—this kind, beautiful, gentle woman—is changing my life in such dramatic ways, I feel like a completely different person. In a sense, I feel almost like I'm an adolescent again. Free, uncomplicated, alive. All that, and I've known her for just two weeks. It doesn't really matter, though, because she has all the things that are important, and none of the things that are not. I decide to rely upon my gut instinct about Bella, which is by itself hilarious, because I'm usually a details and numbers kind of guy.

Today when Bella reaches for the dishes in her cabinet, I don't resist my urge to walk up behind her and nuzzle her neck. I deliver a line of kisses along her shoulder and feel her skin shudder under my lips, which bloom into a slow smile.

"Keep that up and we're going to spend the entire day right here."

"Just so long as you're right beside me, I don't care where we are."

She sets the dishes down and turns to face me. I feel her arms wrap tightly around me, and I can't help myself—I lean in to kiss her lips because I simply have to. I back up her body so she's leaning into the cabinets, and let my hands take a nice look-see around her neighborhood. The lips, as I've already established, are one of the kinder, gentler neighbors. I think they may soon become my best friends. Her waist is the neighbor on the cul de sac, curved, well aged, yet still beautiful and fresh. Her breasts, they're the neighbors that everyone wants to meet. They're hip and wise and they always rise to occasion. That is, the occasion of my hands running across their nipples, which always perk up to greet me as I pass by. Down below, her pussy is like the neighbor who sunbathes nude in her backyard, where she is well aware that everyone can see her, and that every Y chromosome within 5 miles wants to get to know her. A smirk rises unwittingly on my face when I acknowledge that I'm the neighbor her pussy chose. Such a lucky bastard.

"What are you smirking about over there?"

"Just that I'm such a lucky bastard. I'm the one who gets to stand naked in your kitchen, worshipping your body. Life just doesn't get any more perfect than this."

"You are not helping me move toward the bedroom, Edward. I meant what I said when I threatened to spend the day in this very spot."

"It is hard to resist my allure, I know, but I'll do my best to help your through this difficult matter."

That earns me a swat on the ass, but it doesn't make the smirk leave my face.

**~xXx~**

I'm supposed to be paying attention to the movie that's presently being played, but I find it impossible to resist the allure of Bella's naked body. I'm visiting the neighborhood again. In fact, I've never even left. I'm kind of like the person who shows up for the party and doesn't follow any social cues indicating that they've overstayed their welcome. I haven't been kicked out yet, though, so that in and of itself is very promising.

"Edward."

"Mmmm?" I can't really answer her, because my lips are getting better acquainted with her shoulder.

She turns to face me. "Have you even seen any of this movie?"

"I'm a little busy over here, being entertained by what I see in front of me."

She takes in a stuttered breath and shakes her head slightly. "I simply can't believe what I'm hearing."

"What? That your body is more entertaining than the movie?"

"Yeah."

"How can you be serious? Your body is amazing. You're amazing. You're the sexiest woman I've ever known. I've been acquainted with you for all of two weeks, and I feel like I've known you forever. How could anything be more alluring, more interesting, than that?"

"If I didn't know you very well, I'd say that you, Dr. Cullen, are high."

"And since you do know me well, you know that I'm stone cold sober and an excellent judge of the human form. I've seen a lot of battered bodies in my time, under my knife. No one has ever appealed to me like you do. In fact, I find it amazing that we've found each other at our age; it feels like we were always meant to be together. I know that's kind of heavy stuff, but we're not getting any younger, you know? I don't want to waste a single moment I could spend with you."

I watch as tears collect along her lower lid, then spill out when they can no longer be contained. I don't understand—I meant for my words to be loving and reassuring.

"Bella, what—?" She quickly shushes me by putting her beautiful finger over my lips.

"I spent the first half of my life belittling my figure. I was never quite thin enough, pretty enough, my hair wasn't straight enough, or curly enough, or the right color. Now that I have all these wrinkles and sags, I bemoan how awesome I used to look. My skin was so clear, my hips were so narrow, my breasts were so pert. We're never truly satisfied with ourselves, it seems. What's so damn wonderful about you is that none of it even matters; you appreciate me just as I am and that's good enough for me."

"So why the tears?" I lean over and kiss their wet path on her cheek.

"Because after all I've been through in my life, I can't even imagine that I actually get to be happy. You make me so happy, Edward. These are happy tears."

"You need to rethink your views on your body, because in my eyes, all I can see is sexy and alluring. Do you know what my first thought was, when I saw you at the Laundromat?"

She shakes her head.

"I thought, 'that is the most vibrant person I've ever seen. It's been so long since I've allowed myself to get turned on by a woman, but I can't help myself. I've never seen anyone like her.'"

"You're absolutely hilarious," she mocks.

"Okay, do you remember what you were sorting when I first saw you?"

"My laundry?"

"Yes, of course your laundry. But what items in particular?"

"I have no idea."

"THONGS, Bella Swan. You were sorting THONGS."

"It's just underwear, Edward."

I snort in response. "To a man, thongs are never considered to be merely underwear. Thongs were given to us by the gods of love for the sole purpose of being worshipped and then swiftly removed."

"Mmhmm."

"You ask any man you know, they'll agree with me. In fact, I remember feeling rather embarrassed because I had to adjust myself after watching you fold your thongs."

"Are you kidding me?"

I give her my most earnest, serious look. "I am most definitely not kidding you."

"Oh my god, you are so hot," she exclaims while reaching for my cock. "I think we need to make out right now."

I don't even bother with a reply. My lips have taken it upon themselves to announce that the neighborhood is having a progressive dinner of sorts, so they need to visit every house on the block. I start with her lips then roam around, trying to figure out which course is being served where. It's incredibly difficult to ascertain, because it all tastes so good, and I find that I'm tasting and enjoying out of sequence. Then I realize that this is Bella Swan, and there is no set way to enjoy her—it's all perfect, and delicious, and just what I need.

Bella reaches for something out of my peripheral vision that I barely register because I'm focused on her perfect nipples and breasts. I'm trying to give them equal attention, because you would never want sibling rivalry to develop between these lovely twins. My attention perks up, however, when I feel her hand travel to her pussy and she moans. I stop what I'm doing and simply leer at what she's doing to herself. I can't believe that she's so self-possessed that she feels comfortable touching herself in front of me. I'm positively mesmerized.

"What?"

"I've never seen a woman touch herself before, and I think it's the most sexually arousing thing I've ever witnessed."

"Me, touching myself?"

"God, yes."

I sit back and take her in. Her fingers circle around her clit as her hips buck out an unsteady rhythm. I find my own hand drifting to my erection, unable to avoid joining her. She's looking straight at me, her eyes moving between my face and my cock. She grabs my free hand in hers, so that we're both pleasuring ourselves and still connected to one another.

We're completely silent, aside from our occasional moans, just watching the miracle of our bodies do what they were designed to do. What she does to herself increases my excitement, and what I'm doing increases hers. I've never before pondered how erotic mutual masturbation could be; it's never been a viable option.

Bella is getting more aroused, and her lids close heavily. This experience is so overwhelming I hardly know how to process this much sexual energy. In fact, it's like I'm watching a live porno. I haven't been this turned on in years. Well, except for last night, but once again, I was with Bella, so naturally it's all been incredible. As I'm ogling her, I feel her hand tighten around mine, her breath catches, and she stills momentarily. I stop stroking myself, lost in the vision of her. Finally, she shudders, and a beautiful flush of red spreads across her chest.

When she finally opens her eyes, she has a lazy grin on her face and she looks more tempting than ever. You can see that this is one very pleased and contented woman. That's all I need to push me over the edge. Without even thinking, I spill onto her stomach, and I'm instantly remorseful. The last thing I want is for her to feel that she's being debased.

As I'm catching my breath, I try to apologize. "Bella, I'm so—"

She interrupts me mid-sentence. "I think that's the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Do you have any idea how sexy you are?"

I collapse at her side, watching as she lazily draws her fingers through my semen. I can't believe my eyes.

"You aren't angry with me?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I c…came so fast," I blurt, unused to talking about sex so openly in front of a woman. "I didn't mean to make you feel like a dumping ground."

She snorts out loud.

Hmm. That was unexpected.

"Okay, Cullen, whatever your situation was with your wife—I'm not going to judge your relationship. I am, however, going to insist that we demystify sex right here, right now. You can be open with me. You can talk about anything sexual without any fears or concerns. For me, sex is all about feeling pleasure and giving pleasure. It's nothing more than two people coming together and expressing how much they mean to each other. Your orgasm? It's like a gift that you give, just for me. My orgasm is a gift to you. Our bodies, our skin, every part of us is created by love and for love. So, no hang-ups with me, understood? It's just you, and me, and pleasure."

How is it that I've missed out on so many opportunities in my previous sexual experiences? Why did I allow Jess to take complete control of our sex life? Why didn't I ask her to be more open? Bella is absolutely right—nothing could be more natural than two humans bringing one another sensual pleasure. How could this ever be considered wrong? How could you not want to feel this way? I look at her, and I know that in this moment, I'm a different man. I'm done with being safe and careful. I'm done with following the rules. I want nothing more than to experience everything I've put at arms length and I want to experience it all with Bella.

"Edward? What is it?"

"Hmm?"

"The look on your face, it almost seems a little sad."

"I feel like I've been asleep for 65 years. How did I let Jess dictate the rules of our sexual relationship? Why did I turn my mind off? I've missed so much."

"It's never too late to learn. We'll make up for lost time, okay? Let's just consider this a new beginning. Your previous relationship brought you to where you are today, and gave you two awesome kids. Now is your time to have all the fun you've denied yourself. Tomorrow, we're going to create a bucket list, and you and I are going to do every last fucking thing on it."

She holds out her hand to me, like we're going to shake on this. Apparently I take a beat too long, because she starts to wave her hand in front of me to remind me that it's there. I grin at her then shake her hand enthusiastically.

"All right, it's all settled. Now, if I'm not mistaken, you and I have a date with your bed."

I laugh at the fact that I've been naked in bed all day next to a naked woman, and I'm going to leave the bed for a moment, only to go right back to bed. I feel high and preposterous at the same time. I feel like Charlie being let loose in the Chocolate Factory, scooping up goodies right and left. I feel like a kid left in the toy store once it's closed for the night.

No, that's not it at all. What I feel is… _alive_. Bella Swan has made me come alive. I can't fucking wait to introduce her to _my _bed.

**END NOTE: Although Silverfox has more of his story to share with you, this isn't going to be a long story, just short and sweet. Thank you so much for giving my Silverfox and his Bella a chance.**

**Edward and Bella being silent during sex is for Lupin4Tonks. She knows why. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: Reader safakz has dubbed **_**The Silver Lining**_** Edward as "Elderward Silverfox". NGL, I think that's pretty awesome myself. **

**Things I own: A replica of Cedric Diggory's wand that I received for my birthday. Yes, I totally squeed out loud when I opened it up.**

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**Thank you to my beta, Lupin4Tonks, who still wants first dibs on Silverfox and Bella.**

**CHAPTER 4**

Bella and I drive to my house together in the Volvo. She wanted to drive her own car, but after a firm discussion where I explained to her the efficiency of driving together, she allowed me the privilege of chauffeuring her to my home. Granted, it was nothing more than a ruse to have her at my mercy so that I can have my wicked way with her. Preferably for several days on end. I think she saw through my flimsy argument, and it pleases me to no end that she still agreed with me.

When we get to the front door, it suddenly occurs to me that I should probably be nervous. I haven't entertained anyone here for months, and when last I did, it was certainly not someone of the female persuasion. I can't remember if there's any incriminating evidence of my single male life lying around. I must be wearing my emotions on my sleeve, because Bella tugs on my shirt.

"Hey, Silverfox—what's with the look? Should I be frightened? I mean, did you forget to hide the dead body in there or something?"

I break out in a grin, because Bella has this amazing way of turning my nerves into something funny and unimportant.

"Damn, you're on to me. I was hoping I would at least get you through the door before you figured it out," I grin at her. She giggles at my attempt at humor, and it's one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. She laughs with abandon, holding nothing back. And she laughs frequently, which I love. Everything about being with her is just easy. I wonder if this is what they mean by a soul connection. There's absolutely no effort at all, it's just fun, and she's fun, and I love it.

I give her a tour of my home, which is pretty stark compared to her homey cottage. I've always been a fan of Scandinavian architecture, with its clean lines and natural tones. She's quiet as we walk from room to room, and I explain the details of the place. I watch her closely as she takes it in; I can't tell what she's thinking, and that makes me nervous. I'm in uncharted territory, and Bella is such a unique creature that I could never guess what she's going to say next. It puts me on edge, but not necessarily in a bad way. It feels a lot like gambling. I get an excited, nervous feeling in my gut. When she finally speaks, I feel like I can breathe again.

"I expected to see more of your wife evident in the place, but this feels very _Edward_ to me."

"Is being _Edward_ a good thing, or a bad thing?" I ask, a bit unsure.

"Oh, being _Edward_ is the very best kind of thing. I'm just surprised that it's the dominant theme."

"I've always had a thing for architecture, and perhaps imposed my own thoughts too strongly," I say with a little remorse. I never intended to force Jess to accept my vision 100%, and I feel slightly guilty.

Bella nudges my arm to bring me out of my brooding. "Silverfox, please don't worry. It makes me feel infinitely more comfortable here with you being the dominant personality. It's never comfortable to be the next woman in a man's life."

"Is that how you think I see you? As the other woman?" I ask, mystified as to how this could possibly be an issue for her.

"Kind of. I mean, to your kids, I'll always be the other woman," she says, biting her lip. "Oh, god, I just realized how that must sound—like we're a hot item and we're going to be together in the long term. I'm sorry."

It pains my heart to see Bella doubt herself, especially when it comes to the part she's going to play in my life. I put my hands on her cheeks, gently making eye contact with her.

"Bella, after all we've shared in the past 48 hours, please don't question yourself. You're in my life for as long as you want to be. I'm a simple kind of man. When I'm hooked, I'm hooked. I'm exceedingly loyal, probably to an annoying degree. Instead of making me feel upset, you've actually turned me into the happiest man on earth. You have no idea," I seal the deal with a kiss, in case my words weren't convincing enough.

"Where have you been all my life? I could have really used you about 25 years ago."

"Well, you can certainly use me all you want now. To make up for lost time," I waggle my eyebrows at her.

"Horny old bastard," she says with a smile.

"Why yes, I am. You have no idea."

"I'm starting to figure that out. Don't you worry, I'm on to you." Using her fingers in a v shape, she points from her eyes to mine and back again, several times.

We end up standing in my kitchen when Bella's stomach suddenly growls.

"Oh, god, I didn't even think about food," I explain lamely.

"Let's take a peek and see what you've got on hand."

If we do that, she's going to see that I live on cold cereal, take out, and coffee. Not really a great way to make an impression. I'm fairly sure that the milk in my refrigerator is good, but I can't bet on that. As I'm musing, Bella has already gone to work to investigate my cupboards and refrigerator.

"No wonder you're so skinny. You don't have any food in your house. You can't tell me that you live on cereal."

"I can't?"

She shakes her head with a disapproving look on her face. "We're going to have to do something about that."

"Oh?" I can't imagine what 'doing something about that' entails.

"Yes, but it can wait. First your bed and I need to get intimately acquainted with each other."

"I agree that the acquaintance needs to be made, but first you need to eat. How about ordering some take out?" I already have my hand on a stack of menus before I complete my sentence. I fan them out in front of her. "Choose whatever you like."

"Pizza?"

"I was hoping you'd say that," I smile at her. "You choose the ingredients."

"Wow, you must really like me to let me choose."

"I'm just used to it. We always got Jess' favorite toppings."

Bella scowls at that. "You let her choose _every_ time? But what about what you wanted, Edward? That seems really unfair."

"It was just easier that way. She was incredibly picky, and I'll eat just about anything. When you're a surgeon, you learn to eat whatever you can, whenever you can. You never know when you'll eat next. Then there were the kids, and they were picky too. I just went along to get along."

"That's not how I roll. From now on, if we disagree on pizza toppings, we're going to simply split them in half. That way, we're both happy. What do you want on yours? Anything at all."

I stand there for a minute and my brain freezes up. It's a little overwhelming to suddenly be in charge of selecting pizza toppings.

Bella gently nudges my side. "Hey, trauma surgeon! You've performed complicated surgeries, I'm pretty sure that fancy brain of yours can handle selecting a pizza topping."

I smile at her in response. Once again, her humor pulls me out of the moment and refreshes me.

"I really like mushrooms, and everyone else in the family hates them."

"Mushroom pizza?"

"Yeah. That sounds amazing."

"Then mushroom pizza, it is," she says decidedly. "I love mushrooms, too."

And I just fell in love with you a little bit more, Ms. Swan.

I call in the order, and think about beverages.

"You have that look on your face again. You know, the 'I'm not sure where I hid the dead body' look."

"I don't think I have anything to drink except coffee."

"Oh. Huh. We could ask them to bring some with the delivery."

Just then, I remember that I have several bottles of wine that had been given to us as gifts over the years. Now, I finally have a reason to open one of them. I yank on Bella's arm and bring her to the basement.

"Oh, so you're actually going to show me the dead bodies? That's not really necessary. I'm not anxious to become an accessory to murder, you know," I know she's kidding, because she's giggling as she says it.

I decide to tease her back. I back her up to the basement wall and press my body into hers. While she's pinned in place, I lean over and whisper in her ear. "Accessory to murder? Don't be ridiculous. You're my next victim," I say with a hint of sex in my voice.

I start kissing her neck and nibble on her earlobe, letting her feel how aroused she makes me. "I've never made out in my basement before."

I should know better than to try to one-up Bella. She whispers into my ear, "I'm sure we can find a lot of different surfaces of your house to break in."

Playing with fire. That woman is just plain playing with fire. I can't for the life of me remember why we're even in the basement. All my blood is now being pooled in the lower half of my body, so my brain isn't running on all its cylinders.

"Wine, Edward. We're getting wine," Bella reminds me.

"Fuck the wine," I say with reckless abandon.

"No, you fuck _me_. We _drink_ the wine," she answers, stroking my hardening cock through my pants.

"Thanks for straightening that out."

"The sooner you get the wine, the sooner we get to bed."

That's all she really needed to say. I take her to the wine rack. "See anything that looks good?"

I hear her gasp out loud. "Edward, how long has this wine been down here?"

I shrug my shoulders in reply. "No clue. Why, does it go bad?"

"This is a bottle of Chateau Giscours, 1967!"

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"It's worth more than a hundred dollars. It's an incredible vintage. Jake is a connoisseur."

"Well, it's certainly been down here for a long time. I'm so used to putting it down here and forgetting about it."

"Are you okay with drinking it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because it's so expensive!"

"Bella, it's been sitting in my basement for so long, I don't know when I even got it. It's either to be drunk, or forgotten."

"If that's how you feel about it, then, let's definitely drink it."

I grab the bottle in one hand, her hand in the other, and we make our way upstairs.

"I thought we were going to make out in the basement?" Bella asks.

"I decided there are lots of better surfaces to christen before the basement. We can save that for last. It's kind of nasty down there."

"You're all charm, Silverfox. Go for the easy kill, huh?"

"Damn, you found me out," I smile at her.

"That smile of yours…" she starts.

"What about my smile?"

The doorbell interrupts us. I slide my wallet from my back pocket as I walk toward the front door, tucking the wine bottle under my arm. What I see in front of me when the door opens is decidedly _not_ a pizza.

"Daddy? Why do you have a bottle of wine? And what happened to your hair?"

"Alice, uh, hello. What are you doing here? Why didn't you call first?" My voice sounds tight.

"Because you know as well as I do that you never answer your phone! Anyhow, I made a peach crisp for you and I wanted to drop it off while it was still warm. Who's that?" she asks, pointing toward Bella.

I turn around and pull Bella toward me.

"This is Bella Swan. Bella, meet my daughter, Alice Whitlock."

Bella holds out her hand for Alice, who takes it readily. "Hello, Bella. Are you responsible for my dad's hair situation?"

"Alice, be respect—"

While I'm in the middle of admonishing my daughter's candor, Bella is giggling and nodding robustly at her. Alice always has a way of charming people. Before I know it, Alice and Bella are hugging one another and chattering away. I've become extraneous for the moment.

We walk into the kitchen where Alice sets down her dish. She peppers Bella with questions, and I feel like I'm watching a tennis match with all the back and forth motion my head is doing.

Once again, my doorbell rings, and I leave the girls alone while I go to collect our pizza. When I return to the kitchen with the pizza box in my hand, Bella and Alice are whispering and giggling. I can't imagine what they've been talking about.

"Well, I'll get out of _your way now_," Alice overemphasizes, backing her way out of the kitchen toward the front door. Bella follows, giving Alice another big hug. Alice looks pointedly at me, smiling. "You done good, Daddy. You really done good." With a wink, she pops out through the door.

Huh. I guess our secret is now officially out. I already knew that I've done well, but it feels good to have my choice ratified by my daughter.

"Step one of meet the family is complete," I state definitively.

"That seems to have gone fairly well," she says tentatively.

"More than well, Bella. You just got Alice's stamp of approval, and that means a great deal."

"I'm glad and relieved. I was beginning to worry about our children."

"As much as I want their approval, they don't get to decide with whom I spend my time. I want to make that perfectly clear to you," I grin at her again, just to get her going.

"Oh, you think you're sly don't you, Silverfox? Pulling out that grin deliberately to make me forget what just transpired."

I smile even wider. Might as well turn on the juice. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Ms. Swan."

She shakes her finger at me. "I'm on to your tricks," she tells me.

I walk into the kitchen, planning to get plates for our dinner.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting some plates and silverware."

"It's just pizza. You don't need any of that stuff. A few napkins ought to do it."

"Really?"

She giggles at me. "Yes, really. I hate to break it to you, but you can do whatever the hell you want now. You're a grown up, and you're in charge of your own life."

I realize that I have no idea if we have a wine opener or not. I start sorting through our kitchen drawers.

"If you're looking for a good weapon, you should really look in the knife rack."

I laugh at her once again. She's probably the funniest person I've ever met, and I love her sense of humor.

"Oh, don't tempt me. I know exactly where all the good weapons reside. It's the wine openers I'm not so sure about."

Bella pushes me aside impatiently and plucks a wine opener from the drawer. "This is what you were looking for."

"Huh. Would you look at that?"

"I have an amazing ability to find lost items."

"I was kind of lost when you found me."

"Oh, you knew the way. I just turned the light on."

"You certainly flip my switches. So, how does one open a bottle of wine?"

She rolls her eyes at me. "You really don't know?"

"Trust me, I don't easily admit it when I don't know. Asking for directions is not one of my strong suits. We're trained to be allergic to that sort of thing during surgical residency."

She deftly removes the metal from the top of the bottle then works the corkscrew. She shimmies the cork out carefully and it gives out a satisfying _pop_!

"Wine glasses?"

"Oh, shit. I don't think we own any."

"That's okay. Dixie cups work just as well."

"We will _not_ be using Dixie cups," I say with conviction. I might not have nice wine glasses, but I certainly have something better than paper cups.

"Okay, no Dixie cups. Got it." She raises her hands in self-defense.

We carry our dinner into the dining room and proceed to use the pizza box as our plate. The cheese is very stringy, so I use my fingers to manage it properly. It takes me a moment to notice that Bella isn't eating anymore. Her cheeks are flushed and she's staring at me.

I swallow my bite of pizza. "What?"

She grabs my hand and starts turning it around, looking at it from all angles. I'm kind of worried by this behavior.

"Uh, Bella?"

She doesn't really reply, she just makes a small "hmm" sound then proceeds to scrutinize each finger. She almost looks like one of the monkeys at the zoo, inspecting me for critters. I'm completely taken by surprise when she takes my middle finger and slides it into her mouth.

Note to self: I need to make Bella fascinated by my hands as often as possible.

I've seen movies where people sucked on fingers, or toes, and I've heard about it, but it never did anything for me.

Correction—it never did anything for me until Bella did it for me.

I watch in stunned silence as she sucks my finger slowly into her mouth. She lets it back out again, then does this amazing thing with her tongue where she spirals it around my finger as if its my cock. In fact, my eyes are seeing my cock, not my finger. And my cock is definitely paying attention to what she's doing.

I toss my slice aside and grab Bella, pulling her into a straddle of my lap. Before I even know what I'm doing, our mouths are mashed together, and my hands are on her ass, grinding her into my crotch. Far too soon, however, she pulls her mouth away, and I make a disappointed "hsss" sound. I mean, what the hell?

While I'm still missing my kiss and grind, I take slight notice of the fact that she's moving her body downward, to the floor. The half of my body that is presently using all the blood flow is now face to face with Bella. On her knees, she looks up at me while making quick work of my zipper.

Oh, sweet jesus, she's doing what I think she's going to do—my cock is no longer in my pants. It's in her hand, then in her mouth, before I even have time to breathe. I don't have to imagine my finger as my cock, because now my cock is really my cock and… I better just stop while I'm ahead. I can't do anything besides watch and feel and enjoy. While it feels incredible, to see it and feel it simultaneously only increases the ecstasy.

I fucking love blowjobs.

Love.

Blowjobs.

The only thing I can mentally process is blowjobs.

Unable to help myself, I curl my hands into her hair, keeping it out of her face while I'm hanging on for dear life.

Did I mention I love blowjobs? Remember to give me some slack. All the blood in my body is now in my huge erection. I didn't think I could get this hard anymore, but clearly, I've still got it going on. I certainly hope the novelty of sex with Bella never wears off.

Before I even know what's happening, my orgasm bursts onto the scene. I'm usually ready to wait longer for that to occur, but Bella really knows what she's doing. I don't even have time to offer to pull myself out, but I'm amazed to see her swallow it down. No complaining, no screaming, no gagging. She just swallows.

How did I not know this woman earlier in my life?

Once I'm finished, she gently lets me go with a smile on her face.

"I've never once in my life experienced a spontaneous blowjob, and I've certainly never had anyone swallow. Who are you and where have you been all my life?"

She giggles with amusement. "Wow, so the way to your heart is a nice blowie, huh?"

"I guess it is. Who knew?" I answer wryly. "But then there was that thing, you with my finger. What was that?"

"Edward Silverfox, that was completely, 100% all your fault. You should feel ashamed the way you wave those beauties around like they're just an ordinary pair of hands."

"You mean they aren't?"

She takes my hand from me again, placing it carefully into her palm. With a tone of reverence, she says, "These are hands that were born to do surgery." I let out a sort of snort. "Ah-ah, say what you will, but I'm an artist, I know these things," she waves her other hand for emphasis.

"I have to object here," I explain. "I've known hundreds of different surgeons, and they all use their hands in the exact same way."

"I find that very hard to believe."

"What? We do the same things with our hands."

"These hands, Edward… just look at your long, thin fingers. They're strong, but nimble, too. They can reach places that a surgeon with bear paws cannot. These are beautiful, useful hands."

I just laugh at her. She's ridiculous, but if she thinks I have amazing hands, I'm willing to let her keep believing it.

"These hands have had enough admiration for one night. Now they want to do the admiring."

In a gesture that would otherwise shock and concern me, I push the pizza box and wine glasses aside, not even worrying about the ensuing mess or broken glass. I have one thing on my mind, and it's reciprocity. This amazing, hot, caring woman who has just focused solely on my pleasure is going to get the same in return. While I may not have extensive sexual experience, and I'm a pretty conservative guy in my daily habits, I'm quickly learning that I'll do damn near anything for Bella Swan. I lift her ass onto the table and gently lay her down. Grabbing her hips, I scoot her rear to the very edge of the table. I decide I've had enough of her body being clothed, and I want her to be gloriously naked in front of me. It's time to revisit my favorite neighborhood.

I start by taking the bottom of her shirt and rip it up the middle. It earns me a screech of delight from her, and that's all the encouragement I need. Fortunately she's also wearing some stretchy yoga pants, and those just peel right off. I take a moment to look at her beautiful body splayed out in front of me, and it's like I'm a blind man who's just seen the light. Her curves, her soft skin, her lovely shape, it's all there for me to worship. Starting just below her navel, I run my hand lightly up and down her abdomen, just marveling at her female softness. I carefully slip one hand behind her neck to support it then use the other to unsnap her bra. Let me tell you, learning to tie a knot with one hand makes you an instant expert at things like bra removal. Slipping her bra off, I set her back down and run palms over her breasts. I lean over and take a nipple into my mouth, sucking it gently. I started off wild, wanting to get her naked at once, but I've eased into a gentle reverence. I will never get tired of seeing her body naked in front of me.

I love her breasts, I truly do, so I give them plenty of time and attention. I want her to feel my affection in every lick of my tongue. I smile with her nipple in my mouth, thinking back to when I was younger. Everything was about speed back then. I never took the time to really savor Jessica's body, and it's something I regret. I wonder if perhaps I had spent more time discovering her body and less time driving it home, would Jess have been more receptive to sex in general? I recognize that it's a moot point, but I do feel bad that I never took the time to find out.

"It's such a thrill to learn a new body. I never imagined I'd get the chance to do that."

"Yeah, well, this is an old body, so the novelty will wear off soon enough."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," I shake my head her and get back to proving my point wordlessly.

I kiss my way down Bella's torso, licking a circle around her navel then blowing gently on the skin's surface. I love to watch her skin react to me. I follow with delicate touches of my fingertips, and the surface rises up into goose bumps in response to me. It's so satisfying to watch. It's almost as if our skin is having an intimate conversation, with my fingers asking the questions and her skin pebbling back a reply.

I carefully part her legs, running my fingers from her knees to her pussy. I spread her lips open, but I know she's bound to be a bit dry, so my fingers don't go exploring. Instead, I create my own wetness, via my mouth. Using my tongue, I explore every square inch of her, avoiding the place where she wants me to be the most until the very end. She starts to wiggle her hips back and forth, as if to remind me that I've forgotten something. When I finally reach her clit, she lets out an audible sigh. I work my tongue over her, experimenting with swirls and licks. I look up at her face and find her completely in the moment, lost in ecstasy. I don't think she's ever looked more beautiful. I finally suck her clit into my mouth, putting as much suction into it as I can, and she tugs on my hair while her hips buck underneath me. She's stunning.

It isn't until I'm watching Bella unravel that I understand the true meaning of what the difference between her and Jessica is—passion. Bella feels everything with passion. Jessica was restrained. This difference, it's astonishing, but also so natural. To be buttoned up when you're being intimate seems false somehow. It's okay to get lost in the moment, and Bella has taught me how to do this. I will forever be grateful to her for teaching me this important lesson.

When she comes back to me, it is with a contented smile. "You ready to go to bed?"

"Mmm. I'm so relaxed."

I gather up the clothes that are scattered around the room and then reach for her hand. Quietly, we walk upstairs. In my bedroom, I pull back the sheets for her, and we slip under the covers, naked and content. She snuggles her head on my chest, our legs tangling together, and we drift off to sleep.

**~xXx~**

When I awaken the next morning, my naked Bella is still snuggled into my body. When I try to imagine something better than this, I come up empty handed. My life is contented bliss for the moment.

Well, it's contented bliss until I hear Bella's phone start to make a loud _ding_ noise. "What is that?"

Bella picks up her arm sleepily, patting the side table next to her blindly in search of her phone. Snuggling back into my chest, she starts to read her text messages. I'm startled when she abruptly sits up.

"Leah and Seth have figured out that I'm seeing someone."

The tone of her voice clearly indicates that this is not the happiest news she's ever received.

**END NOTE: Bella and Edward still have their bucket list to work out. I haven't forgotten, I promise. That's what Chapter 5 is for. *****cue the evil kimpycackle***


	5. Chapter 5

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: I never expected this story to appeal to a broad audience, seeing how the fandom is pretty skewed toward the younger, more perfect versions of Edward and Bella. I'm completely blown away by the number of you who are not only wiling to read it, but also to put it on story alert and favorites. Thank you so much for your support. I promise to get to all your wonderful reviews as soon as I am able.**

**Things I own: A Starbucks gold card that is so well used, it's starting to peel apart. **

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**Thanks to my beta Lupin4Tonks, who gives me her all even when she's not feeling up to it. *hands over the box of Kleenex***

**CHAPTER 5**

"So I take it that's not a good thing," I remark with a hint of sadness. This relationship of ours is already so special to me, and I want it to be special for everyone else I know, too.

"I'm not entirely sure. They're concerned because my car is in my driveway, but I'm not home. I didn't think to let them know I'd be here. I guess I was a little preoccupied with the Silverfox sitting next to me in the car," she smiles. "One thing you need to know about Leah and Seth is that they're very protective of me, but in different ways. Leah is still very angry with her father that he left, so she doesn't want me to see anyone, I guess. She doesn't really trust men. Seth is just worried about me getting hurt again. He's very sensitive, and he has a heart of gold."

"So, Leah and I… I should just be prepared for the fact that she isn't going to like me much?"

"It's just going to take her a while to warm up to the idea, I think. I know she'll come around."

I watch her send texts off to her children, her face a study in concentration. I think that may be one of my favorite things about Bella, there's nothing hidden with her—she wears her emotions on her sleeve. Women can be confusing creatures, but I have a sense that with Bella, it's never going to be an issue for us.

When she finishes her text, she looks up at me, her brow furrowed.

"What?"

"Where's your phone, Edward? Don't you keep it by your bed?"

I search my mind for where my cell phone might be. I'm very organized and have a good memory, but for the life of me I can't keep track of my phone. It must be because I use it so rarely. I really dislike talking on a cell phone. It's difficult to hear the conversation, and I have a hard time focusing on more than one thing at a time. I can't imagine how the guys with Bluetooth devices in their ears manage. I'd be certain to run into things if I tried that.

"If you recall, I'm not much of a cell phone kind of guy."

"Yes, I do recall. That needs to change."

"Why?" My voice almost sounds like it's pleading a bit.

Please don't make me use my cell phone, Bella. Please.

"Because, that's how 90% of us keep track of our lives. If we're going to be seeing each other, I need to know that I can get in touch with you."

I hadn't thought about that, but it does make perfect sense. I sigh with resolution, knowing that I'm going to have to learn how to use that damn phone.

"So where do you keep your phone, Edward?"

I feel my cheeks flush. "Uh, I don't know?"

She shakes her head at me. "Okay, we can solve this mystery. Let's make like Nancy Drew and call your cell phone. That's the easiest way to find it."

I look at her sternly. "If we're going to be detectives, we ought to be the Hardy Boys, Bella. I can't possibly pretend I'm Nancy Drew."

She just rolls her eyes at me. "Are you a closet misogynist?"

That makes me chuckle. "No, it's just that there are two of us, and two Hardy Boys. We can't both be Nancy Drew after all. That would be illogical."

"Who said you get to be Nancy Drew? _I'm_ Nancy Drew; you're her alert little terrier, Togo."

"Wait, I'm the dog?"

"Sure, makes sense. You're like an alert little terrier."

I need to get her back for that. I pull her body in close to me and start to tickle her. I'm rewarded with a screech and her bubbly laughter. I have a huge grin on my face, because her laughter is like an anti-depressant for me. I could never be even remotely sad when I hear it.

"Nooooo!" she squeals.

"Oh, yes, you naughty girl!"

"You—are—in—such—trouble, mister!" She squeaks out in between her giggles.

I finally let up, and we gasp to catch our breath.

She raises her eyebrow at me. "You don't think that gets you out of finding your cell phone, do you?"

"Damn, you caught on to my evil plan. You're a clever girl—not much slips past you, does it?"

"Hey, I need to be sly if I'm to keep up with a Silverfox," she explains. "Now, what is your cell phone number?"

"I have no idea."

"Edw—" she huffs, stopping mid-sentence in exasperation. "How can you not know what your cell phone number is?"

"Well, I never call myself," I shrug in reply.

She rolls her eyes at me again. "Okay, let's try another tactic. Good thing I'm on top of my Nancy Drew skills. And this just confirms to me that you're my alert little terrier, by the way. No detective worth anything would lose his cell phone. I'm just saying," she smirks at me.

"I'll remind you that there were no cell phones when the Hardy Boys were solving mysteries. You can bet that Nancy Drew would have probably spent so much time on her phone that she never got around to solving anything."

"Keep that up, Silverfox, and I'm going to start reading Nancy Drew to you before we go to bed at night."

I pin her arms above her head and surprise her with a deep kiss. "There's only one thing that we'll be doing before we go to bed at night, and it isn't reading Nancy Drew," I explain. My sudden movement causes her to gasp, and I smile to myself. It gives me such a thrill to know that I can have this effect on Bella.

"No fair distracting me, we need your phone."

I heave a deep sigh. "I don't remember where we left our clothes," I admit to her.

"I seem to remember you grabbing them before we came upstairs."

"We actually _came_ downstairs, but that's just semantics," I grin.

"Oh my god, I've created a monster!" she giggles.

I get out of bed to search around for my pants. I shake my head at myself, because I'm usually more careful about details like this. I always fold up my clothes and put them away before I go to bed. As my mind rewinds my memories of last night, I realize that I was in a haze of sexual fulfillment, which clearly had me thinking of other things besides folding my clothes. I decide to give myself a break.

"Wait. Hold it right there," Bella demands.

I stop where I am, and before I know it, she's behind me, cupping my ass in her hands.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You're so hot and your ass, it was calling out to me."

Frankly, my body calls out for Bella all the time these days. If she wants to cup my ass in her hands, I'm not going to stop her. I look down at my hardening cock and realize that I'm a man possessed. She makes me feel like I'm 21 again. I never imagined I'd become a wanton, horny old man, but that's precisely what I am and I have Bella Swan to thank for that. I can't believe all the things I've missed in life by being sedated and curmudgeonly. I can safely say that that part of me died the minute I met Bella.

I turn around to show her the effect she has on my body, and the most seductive smile I've ever seen blooms on her face.

"What was I saying, again?"

"Something about what a hot guy I am," I explain with pride.

"You know, an ego can totally override the hotness factor."

"You know you want me. You can't help yourself," I tease.

She gently takes my cock into her hand and pulls me back to the bed. "I do. I do want you," she whispers, pushing me onto the mattress and straddling me. "Where is your lube?"

I'm momentarily shocked when she asks such a brazen question. I've never admitted to any woman that I beat off. Jess would have gone through the roof if she knew I did that. I'm not sure what she expected me to do with my sexual frustration, but still, I was secretive about that side of myself. I grew up in an era where we were told that we'd go blind if we masturbated too much. We were actively encouraged to refrain from masturbation, but I was never very successful at that. That's probably why I still feel guilty and secretive about it.

"Edward, what is it?" Bella sounds slightly embarrassed.

I shake my head. "Nothing, I'm just not used to admitting that I even have a need for lube." I can't stop the flush from showing up on my cheeks.

She takes my face into her hands. "Oh, baby, you know there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's perfectly natural for people to masturbate, you know. Remember what we did together? At my house?"

I look at her intently. "I will never forget what we did together at your house. It was so arousing to see you touch yourself."

"Well, it's the same for me when you touch yourself. It's amazing. So, without any embarrassment, please tell me where you keep your lube."

I reach back and pull out my bedside drawer for her. All of my jerk off supplies are in there.

She takes a moment to look at the contents of my drawer then grabs a bottle. "Yeah, I'm going to be investigating the contents of that drawer in the near future," she explains, her voice husky.

She squirts some lube onto her hand and works it over my penis. The subject of masturbation was literally deflating, but watching Bella handle my cock with a look of abject lust on her face gets me back to where I was in no time. I love that she can coax an erection out of me so easily.

Before long, she grabs my hand and squirts some lube into my palm. She's still straddled over me, but sits up so that I have access to her. I spread the lube over her gently, making sure every bit of her is covered. She leans over, giving me a deep kiss while she squeezes my cock. I groan into her mouth and feel her smile on my lips; I guess I'm not the only one who gets off on arousing my partner. She removes my hand from her body, placing it above my head. She sits on top of my erection, sliding back and forth slowly, and I watch as the head of my cock slips in and out of view between her lips. At just the right moment, she leans forward enough for me to ease inside of her. To go from the sliding friction to being surrounded by her warmth is an incredible feeling.

She works her hips over me, swirling them over me in a circular motion. This must be one of the benefits her yoga moves and it serves to remind me that if ever we do make it to yoga together, I'm going to have sex on the brain the entire time.

She throws her head backwards, eyes closed and a slight smile on her face, and she's completely lost in the moment. My body, my cock, is making her lost in pleasure, and the effect is that the pleasure spreads to me. I run my hands over her body, lovingly appreciating her thighs, hips, ass, breasts. Without warning, she takes my hand into hers and circles our fingers over her clit. She's showing me in the most basic way possible how to make her orgasm with my hand. She doesn't lecture me, she doesn't use passive aggressive behavior, she doesn't clam up, she simply and wordlessly teaches me. Gradually, she moves her hand away, leaving me to it, and goes back to focusing on the rhythm of her hips. When her breathing pattern changes with a series of gasps, I know she's close. Watching her come undone above me is one of the most alluring things I've ever seen.

She leans over to kiss me again, and I place my hands on her hips so I can enter her more forcefully. She shifts her mouth over to my earlobe, giving it a slight nip, then whispers, "Fuck me harder. I want you to come, Edward. Please."

It's at that moment I discover that I really like it when Bella talks dirty. It's a complete turn on, and I can't help but obey her demands.

Bella curls up on top of me, wrapping her arms behind my shoulders and continuing to straddle my hips. When I slip outside of her, she murmurs a slight _Aww_ of disappointment, but stays where she is.

When I suddenly hear her stomach growl, I'm annoyingly reminded that there will always be human needs interloping on my bliss.

"Time for breakfast, then?" I ask, kissing the top of her head.

"I don't want to leave this bed," she grumbles into my chest.

"That makes two of us, but I'm afraid our stomachs may mutiny."

Bella rolls over onto her back and stretches, so I take a moment to bury myself into her cleavage.

"That isn't helping, Silverfox."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I mumble.

She lifts my head out of her cleavage. "Breakfast, then boobs."

"How about breakfast _and_ boobs?"

She gives me what is supposed to be a scowl, but it's completely adorable and falls off the mark. "Okay, okay. Let's get some breakfast. Curiously, however, I seem to be minus a shirt today, for some strange reason."

"Well, that was very careless of you."

"Wasn't it, though? Next time I ought to wear something industrial strength."

"Or, you could wear nothing at all. That's always an option."

"You're awfully horny for an old geezer, you know."

I waggle my eyebrows at her, completely unapologetic.

"Hey, how about a naked breakfast today?"

"I can't believe you're the same man who scolded me for walking around in my house naked."

"Consider me to be enlightened, then. I want naked breakfast with your naked body."

She heaves out an exaggerated sigh. "If you insist, I suppose I have no choice." I give her ass a nice swat as she makes it out of bed.

"I still haven't forgotten the cell phone, Edward, but we'll get back to that. You were very rude to have interrupted the search with sex. You know that always distracts me."

"I'm sorry, next time I'll try not to be so hot and irresistible," I tease.

"You're lucky that you're that hot and irresistible, or I'd be heading out the door."

I make a pouty face for her and she melts. My powers of distraction must be epic because the only reactions I elicit are a grin and a shake of her head. I wink at her for added effect and grab her hand in mine as we head to the kitchen.

When my attention turns from Bella to breakfast, I remember that the only things to be found in my kitchen are cereal, coffee, and some—hopefully unexpired—milk. I'm upset that I don't have any real food to offer her.

"Oh, no, you have the 'did-I-hide-the-dead-body' look again. What now?"

"I'm afraid that our breakfast choices are limited. Very limited."

"And that makes you uneasy?"

"Yes, it does."

A perfect smile blooms on her lips. "Oh, Edward. How long is it going to take you to understand that I'm really easy to please. As long as I get a little coffee in my system, I'm good. If worst comes to worst we can have leftover pizza. Or, we can dig into Alice's peach crisp. We never got to that last night."

"Bella, you can't eat dessert for breakfast."

"Sure you can. You can eat whatever the hell you want to for breakfast. The breakfast police won't bust you, I promise."

The way Bella gently teases me about being so rigid is perfect. Using only simple humor, she diffuses any situation and she also helps me laugh at myself; I've always been someone who takes himself too seriously. Not only that, but she's right. I'm 65. I _can_ eat whatever the hell I want.

"Well, let me check the milk, and that will answer the question of cereal versus crisp."

I reach into the fridge and retrieve the milk. The date says it's good, but I remove the cover and give it a good sniff anyhow. I'm not taking any chances with Bella; she's far too important to me.

"Smells good to me. You?" I offer, tilting the carton under her nose.

"I smell good, too," she grins. "I trust your judgment implicitly, Edward. Don't worry."

I grab the cereal and once again, I'm a bit chagrinned. I only have two varieties. I would actually eat the same flavor every day, but that makes me feel too stodgy, so I include another flavor to bring some variety into my life. I admit that I'm not straying far from the tree, but far enough to keep me comfortable. I notice Bella clear her throat loudly.

"Ed-waaaard," she sings. "This isn't a life or death situation. Just show me the cereal already."

"Oh, right. Honey Bunches of Oats. Cinnamon or Almond."

"Ooooh, that's going to be a really tough choice."

"They're both pretty tasty," I add. When I look at her face, however, I realize that she's teasing me again.

"You really live on the wild side, don't you?" she giggles.

"I'm all about living dangerously," I tease back.

"Well, I tell you what. I love the look of that peach crisp, so that's what I'm going to have for breakfast."

"You were serious about that?"

"One should never, ever joke about eating dessert. Yes, I was positively serious."

I decide to throw caution to the wind. "I'll have that too, then."

Her answering smile is so full of joy, I can't help but smile myself. She gives me a huge hug. "I'm so proud of you," she says gleefully.

"Proud of me for eating dessert for breakfast?"

"Yes. You've just made a great leap forward."

I hug her tightly and press my lips to the top of her head. "So, coffee with our dessert breakfast?"

"You can always assume coffee is a yes for me."

I get the coffee brewing as Bella serves up the crisp. "Do you want yours heated? I'm going to do mine."

"If you're going to do something, I'd much rather it be me than the crisp."

"You just did me not so long ago. Tone it down, Hercules," she mock scolds me.

While Bella heats breakfast, I grab the morning's _Peninsula Daily News_ from the front door. It feels slightly naughty to do so while in my birthday suit, and I chuckle at myself.

We sit down to dig into our breakfast when Bella interrupts. "I propose a toast," she says, lifting her mug. "To dessert for breakfast."

"To dessert for _naked_ breakfast," I reply, commenting on our lack of attire.

"I stand corrected. To dessert for naked breakfast," she replies, clinking her mug to mine.

After a few bites, which draw _oohs_ and _mmms_ from Bella, she brings up the topic of cell phones once again. I keep hoping she'll forget, but she's acting an awful lot like Nancy Drew's alert little terrier, whatever its name is. Once she bites, she certainly doesn't let go.

"So, we need to find your phone. I want to be sure you have my number and I have yours."

I nod my head.

"It's fair to warn you that I'm going to expect you to use it, Edward. I need to be able to stay in touch with you."

"Maybe you could show me how?"

"How to use your cell phone?" she says, sounding amazed.

I feel my face flush. "Yeah."

"Wait, you've never used it? Ever?"

"Well, Emmett and Alice bought me an iPhone for Christmas a few years ago. They got it set up on my Mac, but I'm not really sure what to do after that. It keeps ringing like a bell, but when I try to answer the phone, no one is ever there."

Bella lets loose a huge snort. "Those are text message notifications, Edward. You don't need to answer them like a phone call."

"What's a text message?"

"Wait, you don't know what a text message is?"

"Not really."

"For a smart man, you can be remarkably uninformed."

"I prefer the label 'low maintenance'."

"Okay, Mr. Low Maintenance, prepare to be schooled on your phone as soon as we find it," she states. "By the end of the tutorial, I promise that you'll be able to use your phone without discomfort."

I nod in reply while I divide the paper into sections. "Which part would you like first?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter to me."

I take the front page and we both start to read, sipping our coffee and sitting comfortably in our silence. It feels very natural, as if we've been doing this same morning routine for years.

"We're going to go skydiving."

That statement is all it takes for me to promptly spew coffee all over the newspaper.

"What in god's name are you talking about? Are you insane?"

"Nope. I just want to try something new. It's a bucket list thing. We were supposed to work on that last night, but got a little sidetracked, if you recall."

Oh, yes, I most definitely recall, Bella.

"And doing a taste test of the latest Honey Bunches of Oats flavor isn't new enough for you?"

She giggles at me. "Eleanor Roosevelt said that you need to do one thing that scares you every day."

"Well, you scare me, frankly. How about I just do you?"

"That's a given, but no, it doesn't count. What have you always wanted to do, but couldn't?"

"I've always wanted to go scuba diving."

"Okay, then, once we finish skydiving, we'll take a trip and learn how to scuba dive."

"You're not joking, are you?"

"No. I already told you that I wasn't."

"I really like the idea of taking a trip with you."

"We're on a roll here. Grab some paper and a pen and let's get this bucket list written."

Suddenly excited about the idea of creating a bucket list with Bella, I do as she asks.

"Do we need to put this in any kind of order? Like most important to least important?"

"Edward, it's a bucket list. No one's going to see it or judge it. You can do whatever you want."

I love it that Bella gives me permission to do things my own way. I've been used to doing whatever I was told when I was growing up, and then with Jessica, and then at work. The concept of doing whatever I want now is liberating and exhilarating all at once.

I begin to write out the list.

1. _Skydiving_

2. _Scuba diving_

"What's next?" I ask her.

"Yoga. You promised that you would do yoga with me."

"Oh yeah, I did, didn't I?"

"You're not getting out of it. You need to try it at least once."

"Can I make a confession?"

"Sure, but you're still not getting out of yoga, Silverfox."

"I'm not sure I can watch your body contorting into erotic shapes and keep myself, uh, _contained_."

"Really?"

I roll my eyes at her. "As if this is a surprise."

"You can wear a t-shirt that covers your junk. It will be fine."

3. _Yoga, during which I will not become sexually aroused_.

Bella giggles at me.

"What? I'm just being honest," I grin. "I'd like to make love in the ocean."

"Sounds good to me. As long as I'm the one who gets to share that with you, I mean."

4. _Sex in the ocean_

Bella grabs the pen from my hand.

5. _Sexting_

"Do I even want to know what that is?"

"Sending sexy messages back and forth via text messages. It will inspire you to both learn how to text and to figure out what you want to tell me."

"That sounds worth trying. Why not?"

I grab the pen back from her.

6. _Phone sex_

"Yes, definitely phone sex. I think you've got it, Edward," she says approvingly, reclaiming the pen.

7. _Sex in public_

"I had no idea you were such an exhibitionist, Ms. Swan."

"Just you wait," she warns.

Naturally, the idea starts to wander around in some pretty dirty recesses of my brain. I grab her and pull her onto my lap. I don't like the amount of distance between us. She lets loose a small happy sigh while I nuzzle my nose into her neck.

8. _Sex with Edward, tied up and at my mercy_

"Now, that's just plain unfair. I'm going to be obsessed with these goals," I whine.

"That's the idea, hot stuff," she whispers in my ear.

"You're a sadist."

"Just you wait."

I just have to get her back for that one.

9. _Voyeurism_

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're going to strip naked for me and pleasure yourself while I'm peeking in your window."

I hear her breath hitch. "Oh my god, that sounds so fun. You're not the only one who's going to be obsessed with our bucket list."

10. _Porch swing sex_

"From the moment I saw it on your porch, that's exactly what I envisioned doing in it," I explain to her.

"I'm not sure my porch swing can handle the two of us. It's not that sturdy."

"Well, then, I look forward to breaking it. And fixing it. And breaking it again."

"Horny bastard," she teases. "Did you notice this is more like a sexual bucket list than a regular one?"

"As someone I admire once said to me, '…no one's going to see it or judge it. You can do whatever you want'."

"You're catching on, Silverfox."

"I get it eventually."

She turns around in my lap so she's facing me. I don't even wait for her to initiate a kiss; I bring my lips to hers before she has time to think. She encourages me with a low, sexy, _mmmm_ sound as I run my hands over her bare ass. We do nothing more than kiss each other deeply, soaking up the incredible sensation of naked skin on naked skin. It's such a simple thing, but I never would have imagined it could be this erotic. Then again, Bella makes just about everything in my life erotic.

Eventually, Bella pulls away from the kiss. "I need to help you find your phone, because I just remembered that I have a yoga class after lunch. I need to make sure you know how to call and text me."

"Why is it so urgent?"

"Without any practice, we'll never be able to scratch items five and six off the bucket list."

"That's a good point."

We go back to the bedroom in search of my pants, which is most likely where I've left my phone. Sure enough, it's hiding in my front pocket.

"Edward, you don't even have it turned on!" Bella exclaims.

"Well, I didn't need to use it. I don't want the battery to die."

She rolls her eyes at me. "It's not like a flashlight, you know. The battery life is pretty long—your phone should be on at all times, unless you're in a movie theatre or performance. You'll want to get into the habit of recharging it every night. That's what I do when I keep it on my end table."

"Okay, phone plugged in every night. Got it."

"Where do you keep your recharger?"

I flush with embarrassment. "I'm not sure."

"Well, if we can't find it, we can always buy a replacement. No big deal."

Bella takes time to explain how the phone is set up, how to add phone numbers and manage my contacts. It never occurred to me that I might want to program in the phone numbers of all the restaurants I frequent for take out. I'm amazed at all the things this phone can do; I might actually want to use this thing after all.

She shows me how to use my text window to send and read texts. She sends a test message to show me how it works, and my phone chimes.

"See, that one short chime? That's your indication that a text message just arrived." She demonstrates how to unlock my phone and read the waiting message. I send her a text in reply and it works without a hitch.

"I kind of hate to admit this, but I really like this thing. It's very handy."

"I know. Now think of all the naughty things you could do with it," she says, waggling her eyebrows with animation.

"Trust me, I don't need a reminder to think about naughty stuff with you, Bella."

"Good. I need to find some clothes to put on in order to be decent in public," she reminds me. "My shirt has been ripped in two."

I tug her hand and we work our way back to my room, where our clothes are still in a pile on the floor. As she gets dressed, I walk to my closet to find a shirt for her. The idea of seeing her with my clothes on, and knowing just why she needs to wear my clothes, has me at half-mast in no time.

When I hand her the shirt, she looks from my cock, up to my face, and back to my cock, then arches an eyebrow.

"I was thinking of you in my shirt," I explain.

"In that case, I'll wear your shirt every day."

"Careful," I warn her. "I might just hold you to that."

I give her one more deep kiss, then reluctantly let her go. As much as I hate to do it, Bella needs to be driven home so she can go to her yoga class.

As we near her house, she reminds me about my cell phone. "You get working on your bucket list sexting idea for that while I'm at yoga. I'll get you signed up for the next class when I'm there."

"That's just not fair. All those things make me think about having sex with you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing when I have to wait for you to be finished in order to have sex."

"Hello, Edward? Sexting?"

_Now _I get it. "You really shouldn't have said that."

"I love it when you get that horndog lust look in your eyes. Hold onto it until I get back."

"You're coming back?"

"Oh, did you not… want? … I," she stammers.

"I want. Yes, I want."

She smiles widely. "Good. I want, too."

"Should we be here tonight, or your place?"

"Mine. I have actual food in my house."

"No, mine. I'll buy some actual food."

"How about we trade off, back and forth? You and I can go grocery shopping for both places, and stock up."

I love that we're talking about being together all the time without actually having a direct conversation on the subject. It's so satisfying to know that we're planning on spending all our time together. The two of us, together. It's so natural.

Bella leans over to give me a kiss.

"I'm really going to miss you," I tell her bluntly.

"I'm really going to miss you, too. It's just for a couple of hours. I'll call you once I get home from class. In the meantime, remember—sexting."

I wave my phone at her. "I'm on it."

Her face suddenly turns serious. "Edward, I …" she hesitates.

"What is it?"

She doesn't answer me immediately. Instead, she leans in once again, taking my upper lip between hers, initiating a deep kiss. Before I have the chance to get really worked up, she pulls away, leaning her forehead onto mine. Her mouth finds its way to my ear, and she finally answers me with a whisper.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

The largest smile I've ever had is plastered on my face. I'm so relieved to know that we both feel the same way.

"There's no thinking about it for me. I'm absolutely, positively falling in love with you, Bella."

We lean together, our foreheads touching. "I don't want to leave, but I have to."

"Come back soon."

"Practice sending some texts to your kids. Then get on with the sexting, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," I give her a teasing salute.

I watch as she walks toward her house, lost in the joint feelings of love and lust that occupy my heart. It's funny how after all these years I finally know what real love is. I recognized it the moment I felt it. I'm so grateful to even be able to feel it at all. This is what all those poets were yammering on about—and I finally understand.

**~xXx~**

Back at my house, I clean up the dishes from dessert breakfast and diligently practice sending text messages to my children.

_**Hello, Alice, it's me, your dad, Edward. I just wanted to thank you very much for being so kind to Bella. She's a very important lady to me, and you made her feel warm and welcome. You're a good kid, and I love you very much. **_

_**With much love, your dad**_

I hit send, hoping I did this right. It doesn't take long for my phone to chime.

_Daddy, since when do u know how to text? _

I start to type something, and my phone chimes again. A new message pops up.

_BTW, when u text, it's ok to shorten things. It's not a letter. Js._

BTW? Js?

_**Alice, what does that even mean?**_

_LOL, DAD. BTW=by the way. Js=just saying. LOL=laugh out loud._

_**Oh. Thank you. Bella taught me how to text.**_

_That makes me like her even more. TTYL. (Talk to You Later)_

_**Okay. I love you. Dad**_

Next, I send a short text to Emmett. He doesn't even know about Bella yet.

_**Hello, son, this is your father, Edward. I am texting you to let you know that I know how to do this now. So we can text. If you should so choose. At your convenience, of course. I hope you are well. Give my best to Rose and the grandchildren. Love, your father.**_

_hey dad glad 2 see ur in the 21__st__ cent finally_

_**Yes, I guess old dogs can learn new tricks.**_

_alice tells me u have a lady friend_

Wow, word travels fast.

_**Yes, son, that is correct. I met a woman named Bella Swan. She's wonderful and I think you will really like her. It's too bad you live so far away. I'm anxious for you to meet her. **_

_no rush we'll get around to it_

_**Yes, we will. Thank you, Emmett.**_

_np way to go ace_

Again with these abbreviations? How am I ever supposed to learn what they all mean? Can't they just speak English, for heaven's sake?

_**Emmett, in my world, NP means Nurse Practitioner. You should probably know by now that I'm surgeon. Have been for 40 yrs.**_

_u crack me up np means no prob_

_**Oh. Thank you for explaining. I will talk to you soon.**_

_yeah TTYL_

At least I already know what that one means.

I glance down at the table and see the bucket list Bella and I prepared this morning. I think I'm going to type it up for her. I grab the paper and head for my office.

Sitting in front of the Mac, I start to fantasize about some of my bucket list items. I mean the sexual items, obviously not the skydiving. My cock starts to harden as I imagine Bella tying me to the bed. I've never even considered doing something like that and I find it wildly exciting. She's opened my eyes in so many ways. I start to rub myself through my jeans, wanting her here, right now. I want her so much it frightens me. I've never in my life known this kind of lust. I decide that's what I need to tell her. _Text_ her.

_**I'm so hard for you right now, it's unreal. I WANT YOU. –E**_

_Daddy? What?_

_**Oh, you're calling me Daddy now, hmm? Very sexy. – E**_

_DAD THIS IS YOUR DAUGHTER. ALICE. _

**END NOTE: The delightful text message mishap is thanks to Ezmac. **


	6. Chapter 6

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: When I began writing this story, I wanted to write something outside of the mainstream to stretch people's ideas about sexuality throughout our lifespan. I wanted to do justice to an older Edward and Bella, since they're such a rare incarnation in the fandom. What I never expected was that anyone would want to read this story. It was merely a labor of love that I believed a handful of people might read. Instead, I'm completely overwhelmed by all the readers who have favorited this story, left amazing reviews, and pimped it to others. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your love of Silverfox. I'll do my very best to craft a story that is worthy of the attention you've given me so far.**

**Thank you to my lovely and thorough beta Lupin4Tonks for all your hard work to polish each chapter. I adore you.**

**Thanks also to my Twilighted validation beta AngelGoddess1981 who not only validates this story, but also leaves me little comments about what she liked. You are win, my dear. WIN.**

**Things I own: A brand new Kindle Fire. Yeah, I'm freaking excited about that.**

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 6**

This is precisely why I should never try to use a cell phone. I will never, ever, ever, send another text message as long as I live.

I turn the fucking phone off and throw it on the ground. I don't care if it breaks, because I'm never touching it again. My stomach is churning acid and my mouth is dry. I can't think of anything beyond this peccadillo. I have so much nervous energy that I'm pacing around my house, unsure of what to do next.

How the bloody hell did I manage to screw that up? How am I going to explain this to Alice? I can't possibly look my daughter in the eye again, much less speak with her. I briefly ponder hiding in my basement for several years until this blows over, but then I'm reminded that my basement is kind of mildewy, and I wouldn't have ready access to Bella. The latter is positively unacceptable. That means I need to figure this out and explain things to Alice.

Hiding in a hole does seem really appealing, however.

I know that Bella's at yoga, so I can't get help from her. Frankly, I don't even want to detail how badly my attempt at sexting went awry. There's only one thing I can do, and that is run. I quickly change into my running gear and head out the door.

As I start to move my feet, my muscles slowly melt into the pace, and my mind begins to unclench. I focus on the sound of my feet—a slow and methodical _right…left…right…left_. It's like a metronome that helps me to slow my brain down and relax a bit. No matter what negative thing I've had to deal with in my life, running has always been just what I needed to unwind. It somehow makes everything look a little bit better.

When I get back from my run, Bella is standing at my front door, knocking away and calling out my name. "Edward! Edward Cullen!" She pounds. "I'm not going away, so you open this door!"

She has a fucking phone charger in her hand, and it makes me want to vomit. Okay, perhaps overexerting myself on the run is the root cause of the nausea, but the phone charger definitely isn't helping.

I'm panting from my run while sweat drips from my forehead. She hears my gasping breath and turns toward me.

"Bell…B…" I stammer, leaning over and putting my hands on my knees for support. I take a few more deep breaths then I try again. "I needed you Bella. I needed you so badly. I fucked up and I don't know how to fix it."

"Forgive me if I'm a bit distracted at the moment. You're all hot and sweaty, Edward." She practically leers at me.

"No, I can't have you distracted right now. Something really terrible happened while you were gone."

Her entire face changes, filling with concern. "What is it?"

"Sexting gone awry," I groan.

She tries, mostly unsuccessfully, to cover up the grin that wants to bloom on her face. "Okay. Why don't you open the door and then you can tell me all about it inside?"

How does this woman weave such magic? I'm still mortified, but I don't feel as lost and overwhelmed as I did just moments earlier. I might be addicted to her smile.

I unlock my front door and then shut it firmly behind us, as if I can keep the sexting demons at bay with a mere double bolt lock. I place my key on the key holder rack, and it dawns on me that Bella really needs to have a key to my house; I don't want to think about her not being able to get to me if she needs to. Impulsively, I take one of my spare keys and place it in her palm.

"Wha—?" she looks down, confused.

"You need to have a key to my house. I never want to see you pounding on my front door again. Not when where you most belong is _inside_—with me."

"Oh, Edward. You're doing it again."

"What's that?" I say with some concern in my voice. The last thing I want is to be hurting or upsetting her.

"Giving me more reasons to fall in love with you. I think I'm a goner, to be perfectly honest."

"Well, I want you to have my key. I want you to have access to me 24/7. God knows when I'm going to have another sexting debacle that needs resolving."

"Yes, about that," she says, taking my hand and leading me up to the bedroom. "What is so dreadful that I find you all agog?"

We end up in my bathroom, with Bella taking my shirt off. She starts the shower running then peels off her own shirt while I remove my shorts.

"Hey, that's _my _job you know," I explain, chastising her for starting without me. I kneel in front of her and slip off her yoga pants. That was a mistake, because once they're gone, I see what's left.

A thong. A black, lacy, skimpy thong.

Sweet mother of jesus, thank you.

"I think the only way to save me from myself is to allow me a moment to admire this thong, Bella. Do whatever you can to erase this sexting disaster from my memory. Please. I need it. I need you."

"You're still all hot and sweaty," she explains. "Seeing you kneel in front of me is really getting me going."

I lean back and show her what it's doing to me. "You're not the only one."

"So your kink is lacy thongs, and mine is a hot and sweaty Silverfox. I think we can work with this."

"I kind of hate to even get in the shower and ruin this moment."

"Have you ever had shower sex?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Let me assure you that it will do nothing to ruin this moment. Trust me on that."

I deliver a kiss right on her pubic bone while I slide my palms over her bare ass. I hook my hands over the thin strap of her thong, and drop it to the floor. I give her another kiss in the same spot, sans thong, and I feel her weave her fingers into my hair and make what I can only describe as a happy noise. A very, very happy noise.

I want Bella Swan to make that happy noise frequently. I'm really pretty fond of it.

Using my thumbs, I spread her open and kiss her clit. More happy noises ensue, and it spurs me onward. I slide my tongue across her and she follows with a quick intake of her breath. I think one of my favorite things about being with Bella is that I'm never left wondering if I'm doing the right thing. She's such a willing, happy participant in this. Sex with Bella is like its own creature, one where we exist entwined in each other, connected in every way possible. I marvel once again that I never had as active a sex life as I do now. At age 65.

_I'm a god of sex_!

Bella slips her hand under my chin, cruelly distracting me from my task. "Get your ass into the shower, dirty boy. Remember: shower sex."

I take direction very well and do as I'm commanded. I smoosh her against the shower wall the minute we hit the water, but I'm almost immediately stopped in motion.

What the hell?

Bella turns the tables on me, pushing _me_ against the wall. And getting onto her knees. That can only mean one thing.

Blowjob.

Blowjob.

BLOWJOB.

I get another blowjob.

A goofy grin blooms on my face. I love blowjobs. Correction: I love _Bella's_ blowjobs. She can take in my entire length, and there's something incredibly erotic about being able to see my penis disappear and reappear as she takes me in her mouth.

Once again, I ask myself: where the hell has this woman been all my life? If I could have been this sexually blissed for the past 30 years, god—my life would have been so different. I remind myself that Bella and I might not have even liked each other 30 years ago, and leave it at that. There's no use in ruminating over what might have been when I can enjoy what is right here and right now. Plus, I have a blowjob that I need to focus on.

Bella interrupts what she's doing. "I really love your penis. It's beautiful."

I don't even know what to say about that. I'm thrilled that she loves my stuff, but I'm also a little embarrassed to have her say it out loud.

She stands up and pulls me into a kiss. "If I'm being completely honest, I really love all your bits. You're beautiful everywhere."

I just look at her sincere face, taking in her unique beauty, and I'm completely in awe of how lovely she is. So gentle, kind, funny. She's the best kind of person and accepts me as I am. The love she gives me, it's overwhelming. I say the only thing that I'm capable of saying at the moment.

"Bella, I simply don't deserve you."

"Oh, hush. You don't get to decide that. I do, and you're wrong. You _do_ deserve me. After all the things we had to live through before we met, we deserve this bubble of happy that we've discovered."

I pull her back for more kissing, and allow my hands to explore her body while my mouth is otherwise occupied. She barely stops the kiss, moving her lips over mine as she asks for the soap. I make sure she gets reengaged in the kiss while I reach out for the soap. If she thinks that I'm going first, she's sorely mistaken. I want to take some time to worship her.

Stepping away, I suds up my hands and gently take one of her arms. I wash every inch of skin surface then move to do the same for the opposite arm.

"I love the way you touch me."

"That's probably because I love to touch you. I simply can't get enough."

I move on to her legs, so I kneel down. I reverently take her foot and set it on my bent leg. I soap her up, but make sure to just skim by the part she wants me to touch. I look up and her and grin.

"I lied. You're evil and nefarious, Cullen."

"Once again, you've seen my true colors. I was so close to fooling you, too."

"Well, you are pretty cute, so I might forgive you. As long as you keep doing what you're doing down there."

"Trust me, I'm far from being finished."

"Good answer. Carry on."

I do as she says, once again avoiding her bits. I stand up and position her hands to rest on the shower wall, so her back is facing me. As I reach her ass, I lean over and bite her earlobe, and she arches her back into me. We're quiet, nothing more than a series of groans, moans, and heavy breathing, coupled with my hands exploring her body. Unable to resist it any longer, I slide my fingers along her slit and hear her murmur a breathy, barely audible, "Oh, _yes_."

Oh yes, indeed. I turn her around and give her magnificent breasts some attention. They really are superb specimens and I feel like I don't worship them properly. They really need a lot of individual attention, because they are sublime. I suck and lick and nip, earning myself all kinds of happy Bella noises.

"Bella, I'm going to need to do an up close and personal inspection here," I tell her firmly as I get face to face with her pussy. "I need to make sure nothing is still dirty."

"I assure you, it's filthy down there, but I don't think there's anything you can do about that," she smiles mischievously.

"I'm happy to die trying. I know it's a tough job, but someone needs to do it."

I place one of her legs over my shoulder, opening her up to me. With my hands cupped over her cheeks, I hold her in place while my tongue goes exploring. I don't have any end goal in mind; I just want her to feel the pleasure of my mouth on her pussy. I'm by no means an expert on cunnilingus, but I am a willing pupil. I listen carefully to what elicits the happiest sounds, then work to refine my technique accordingly. I am a man of science, after all. You never get anywhere without lots of practice on refining your technique. For example, Bella seems to really enjoy it when I swirl my tongue around her clit several times before taking it into my mouth and applying as much suction as I can. No matter what, it makes her hips buck, and I love that.

"Fuck, Edward. Yes."

As I said before, I'm a god of sex. Clearly.

Without another word, she turns around, placing her hands on the shower wall. Looking over her shoulder, she tells me, "Fuck me. Please, fuck me."

Oh, hell. As if she even needed to beg; I'm always willing. The water provides enough lubrication, and I slide inside of her. If I'm being completely honest with myself, doing Bella from behind makes me feel dirty. As I said once before, Jess was partial to missionary position, so I don't have much practice with anything else. I was convinced that most women found rear entry to be degrading, like they're considered as nothing more than an animal, but I should have known that Bella would be different. She's willing to try almost anything, and I'm truly amazed at her flexibility. She's definitely a magical creature in my book, right up there with unicorns and leprechauns.

Uh, strike the leprechauns. That just makes me think of that damn slasher film that Emmett made me bring him to when he was underage. Then there's Lucky, of Lucky Charms, who isn't any better. Neither of those leprechauns belongs in the same sentence as Bella Swan, even if Lucky Charms are magically delicious.

I retrain my focus to watch myself sliding in and out of Bella, and it's almost too much. How did I get to become this man? The one who gets to have sex with this stunning woman? She turns her head over her shoulder again and encourages me to do it harder. Does she not understand that she's playing with fire, here? I'm liable to fall victim to spontaneous human combustion if she isn't careful. Nevertheless, I comply with her request and make note that _harder_ results in _louder_. My thighs are slapping her ass and I'm totally lost in this feeling. She can feel my telltale twitch, and whispers "Yes." I finish, wrapping my arms around her torso and recovering my breath gradually.

She turns to give me a kiss, then proceeds to wash my body but with more emphasis on washing rather than teasing. It doesn't matter. Feeling her hands on my skin is still a sensual experience. We end the shower by washing each other's hair, and it's one of the simplest pleasures I've ever had. Bella was absolutely right—shower sex is a singular experience.

Once we towel off, Bella pulls me into bed, naked, and we snuggle into each other under the covers. She smells wonderful and feels even better, naked skin on naked skin. It's then that I remember my sexting mishap and get that familiar burn returning to my stomach. I must have tensed at the memory, because Bella immediately asks me what's wrong.

"Sexting."

"Oh yes, I seem to remember you being upset about that, but then you slyly distracted me with shower sex."

"The record states that _you_ distracted _me_ with shower sex, Ms. Swan."

"Mmm, no, I'm pretty sure it was all your doing. You're the one with the penis, after all."

I squeeze her a little more tightly. "The beautiful penis, if my memory serves me correctly."

She runs her hand over my cock and cups my balls. "Your memory is definitely correct. It's a beauty."

"So, you deliberately led me astray when I meant to wallow in my embarrassment and pain," I accuse.

"Well, you didn't think about it from the moment we reached your bedroom, so I'd say that's a good thing. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

I feel my cheeks flush. I'm so ashamed that I sexted my daughter. There's no way I can say this out loud.

She nudges me, coaxing gently. "Come on now, Silverfox. Out with it. What happened?"

"I sexted Alice."

She pulls back from me at once. "You what?"

"You heard me, I can't repeat it. I need to move to Antarctica for a few years until this blows over."

She gives me a look of impatience, which isn't what I expected. I assumed she'd be completely empathetic.

"You are _not_ going to give up simply because you made a mistake," she says firmly. "Do you have any idea how many people make that same mistake, every day?"

Huh. I was so mortified that it never occurred to me that this probably isn't the first time a sexy text had been misdirected. "Really?" I ask, hopeful.

"Yes, really. So tell me, how bad was it?"

"Well, I was typing up our bucket list, and I was thinking about having sex on your porch swing. It, uh—" I stop. How the hell do I tell Bella I was perving out over the fantasy of porch swing sex?

"You liked thinking about porch swing sex," she says matter-of-factly.

"Yes, you could definitely say that," I agree.

"And?"

"Well…"

"Did it make you hard to think about me? To imagine being naughty on my porch?" she purrs into my ear breathily.

"Yes."

"Did it make you want to…" she pauses dramatically. "_Fuck_ me?"

"God, yes."

"I want you to fuck me on the porch swing. No, I want you to fucking break the porch swing. I won't be satisfied until it plunges onto the floor."

I swallow hard and settle myself with a deep breath. "It's on the bucket list, Bella. It has to happen. We have no choice anymore," I grin.

"So, you were hard, thinking about fucking me."

"I thought it would be a good time to send you a text, telling you how wound up I was over the bucket list."

"Do you want to show me the text? Would that be easier?"

It's then that I remember I probably broke my phone when I threw it on the ground.

"Uh, I think I might have killed my phone."

"You threw it, didn't you?"

"How did you know?"

"Just a guess. It seemed like a very Edward kind of response."

"You really get me, don't you?"

"We really get each other. I think this is what they mean when they talk about soul mates."

"I think so, too."

"All right, let's go find the phone and survey the damage."

I whimper, because I don't want to show her the embarrassing message, and I also don't want to separate my body from hers.

"We can come back and snuggle in bed before we read it," she reassures me. "How's that?"

"Okay," I answer with resignation. I heave my body out of bed without disconnecting our hands, so I pull Bella up behind me.

I hear her giggle. "What?"

"It's just that you were recently scandalized that I would walk around my house starkers, and now you do it automatically. I've fully corrupted you."

"See, what you don't seem to understand is that the reason I do it is only to encourage you not to put on your clothes. It's very selfishly motivated."

"Silverfox, if I had my way all your clothing would be burned. It's almost sinful to cover up a body like yours."

"Hey Pot, I'm Kettle," I say, reaching out to shake her hand. "And you're black."

She giggles lightly and it fills me with such a sense of calm. Who the hell needs Xanax when they can simply listen to Bella laugh? It's far more effective at relaxing the body than anything I know.

I lead her downstairs and into my entryway, looking around for the damn phone. It's got to be around here somewhere. Without warning, Bella bends over from the waist, so I get a perfect view of her bits. Naturally, I can't help but bring myself into perfect alignment with said bits, placing my hands on her hips.

"You didn't get enough of that in the shower?" She asks incredulously.

"As you once said, you created a monster. How can I resist when you're bent over in front of me like this?"

"I found the phone!" she exclaims.

"I'm happy right where I am. Ignore the phone."

"Pfft. Nonsense," she says, returning her body to an upright position. I try very hard not to whine about that. "Come on, you. Back to bed." We run up the stairs and Bella dives into my bed. I move a bit more slowly, but still follow closely behind. We resume our previous snuggling position while she turns on my phone.

She taps her fingers on the screen and I assume that she's getting to the message. I'm not prepared for her giggles.

"Oh, come on! Like I'm not embarrassed enough?" I complain.

"Shh, you'll be fine. This is priceless."

I try to grab the phone from her, but she pulls it out of my reach. I growl in frustration and bury my face into my pillow.

Bella just moves her body on top of mine, so she can whisper into my ear. "Hey, for what it's worth, this is a really tame sexting mishap," she tries to reassure me.

"It was to my _daughter_," I explain with my face still buried in my pillow. "I told my daughter that I had a hard on, for crying out loud."

"Do you think she doesn't know how the male body functions? She has children, after all."

"How can you not grasp how fatal this is? I'll never be able to look her in the eyes again."

"Well, for the record? I'll never refer to you as Daddy."

"That isn't helpful."

"Okay, this really needs to stop. You can either become paralyzed because you made an honest mistake, or you can pick yourself up and keep walking. Sure, it's embarrassing. I'd certainly be embarrassed if it happened to me. But as with anything embarrassing, you 'fess up, apologize and then it's over. Alice is a very sensible girl. She'll understand."

I turn myself over so Bella is now straddling me. "Bella, I sent a text of a highly sexual nature to my daughter. That's just wrong on so many levels, I can't even begin to deal with it."

She smiles at me. _Smiles_! "I'm sorry, but that wasn't highly sexual, Silverfox. In fact, I'm sure you could do a lot better than that."

I shake my head. "I'm never texting anything again, as long as I live."

"Don't be such a curmudgeon," she scolds. "Tell me something—the first time you made a mistake in surgery, did you decide that you couldn't be a surgeon and give up?"

"What? No, of course not."

"So you made a mistake on a text and you're just going to give up? That doesn't sound like the Edward I know."

I want to get all defensive with her. I want to yell that she's wrong, that she's minimizing a really traumatic event. If I were with Jessica right now, she'd be lecturing my ear off about how I could manage to be so inappropriate and careless. Obviously, I'd never be sexting Jess, so the whole argument kind of falls flat. But with Bella, it's so different, it's like I'm in a completely different universe where new rules apply. Can it be that she's right? What I've done feels so wrong to me, but when I think about it, it doesn't even approach the peccadillos of, say, John Edwards or Bill Clinton. Worse things have happened to far more important people than me, and they survived. I sigh deeply and smile at Bella.

"That _isn't _the Silverfox you know; I just decided that you're right."

She looks at me, a bit concerned. "Really? You're okay?" she says, unconvinced.

"Yeah, I am. In the grand scheme of things, that wasn't so bad. One day, I'm sure I'll look back on this and laugh."

"You mean _we_ will look back on this and laugh."

"You really think we'll be together that long?" It seems unreal to me, but the minute I say it, I regret the implication. Her face looks crushed.

"You don't think—?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that. I know what I want, I just don't want to assume you want the same thing; I don't want to jinx anything. If I'm honest with myself, and with you, I'll say that I want to be with you for as long as possible. I never imagined I'd find love again, certainly nothing like you. I gave you my house key, for crying out loud—that's like a declaration of undying love and commitment if ever there was one. If I had my way, you'd be here, with me, until we die."

Huge tears well up in her eyes, then overflow onto her cheeks. I kiss them away. "You mean it?" Her voice breaks from emotion.

"Yes, I mean it."

"I've known you for less than a month."

"It's the dead bodies I forgot to hide that's souring the deal, isn't it?" I grin at myself, because I just used Bella's classic ploy—humor to diffuse a sticky situation.

"Yeah, that does worry me," she returns my grin. "I've tried too hard to avoid being your next victim, but it looks like I've failed miserably."

"Hey, I know it seems crazy; we've known each other so briefly. I've never felt like this before. I mean, the sexting thing? If that happened with anyone else, I would be hiding in my basement for months. But you? You made me realize that mistakes happen, we get embarrassed, and then we move on. I'm not the kind of guy who relies upon things like hunches, but there is something about our relationship that is undeniable, so I'm just going to accept that you're it for me."

As I'm talking, tears are pouring freely from her eyes, but she's smiling at the same time, so I'm fairly sure they're happy tears. I wipe them away the moment they drop from her eyes. I pull her in close to give her a kiss. As we separate, I don't let her get too far away before I tell her exactly how I feel.

"I love you, Bella Swan."

Her face crumples up again and she starts crying in earnest. That confuses me, because there is no smile, no laugh. She looks upset, but I just told her that I love her. Is it possible that she doesn't love me? I try to sit up and get some separation, but she firmly pushes me back onto the bed and attacks my mouth with her own.

Hmm. They must have been happy tears that looked unhappy, because her kiss is very enthusiastic—she literally attacks my mouth with gusto. I decide to just roll with it, because I'm not the kind of guy who turns down enthusiastic kisses from a woman like Bella Swan.

When she finally pauses to take a breath, I see the smile that I was hoping to see when I declared my undying love to her.

"When Jake and I split up, I was resigned to loving my children, and being loved by them in return. I thought that would be the best I could ever hope for. I never imagined you, Edward. Someone so earnest and kind. Thoughtful. Diligent. Funny. And oh my god, hot. How could I possibly be this lucky? I love you too, Silverfox. So much that it scares me to admit it. I was worried it was infatuation at first, but I know in my heart that it's more. The fact that you said you loved me first makes me so incredibly happy. I can't believe I get to have you."

"Oh, you get to have me all right. As frequently as possible. We also need to think about adding a _team_ shower to our daily regimen, because that was incredible. And you're forbidden from ever wearing any clothing when you're in my bed."

"That's a condition I can live with, as long as the same goes for you."

**~xXx~**

As is common for me these days, I'm awakened around 3:00 AM because I need to pee. I'm hugely annoyed, because it means that not only do I have to leave the warmth and comfort of my bed, but also I have to leave Bella's naked body unattended, and that's simply unacceptable. Unfortunately, my bladder isn't in on this plan. I make some grumbling noises and eventually find my way to the bathroom. I stand there, frustrated, while pee escapes from my bladder bit by fucking bit. What I wouldn't give to have a steady stream that poured out of my body like when I was in my 20s. As a surgeon, I literally had to train my bladder to shut down while in the OR, because it isn't like you can tell your patient who's bleeding to death from a gunshot wound to hang on while you run to the bathroom. I sigh, realizing that this irritating _squirt_-pause-_squirt_-pause-_squirt_ pattern is my atonement for flouting the kidney gods for all those years I was a surgeon. When I believe I've gotten the last squirt from my bladder, I run back to bed and dive in to my Bella. She's incredibly warm and soft, just the thing I need. She mumbles something about cold but still wraps her arms around me and pulls me in closer. I smile, knowing she's totally under my thumb, and I love it.

About ten minutes later, I'm very comfortable, but still trying to fall asleep. I startle a bit when Bella suddenly speaks.

"You still awake?"

"Yeah. It's the same thing almost every night. Awake at 3:00, can't get back to sleep."

"I almost always end up turning on the TV. Do you mind?"

"As long as your warm naked body is next to mine, you can do whatever you like."

She escapes from the bed and makes her own way to the bathroom where I hear a similar urination pattern to my own, and it makes me smile to myself. She runs back to bed mumbling something like, "Cold, cold, cold," then hops in to cuddle up.

"TV," she says, nudging me.

I engulf her body in mine to warm her up. "Nonsense. Why would I turn on the TV when you need to be warmed up? I may be a lot of things, Bella, but I'm never a man who shirks a responsibility."

"Well, if you feel you _must_, I suppose I can be persuaded to allow you to warm me up." The action of her hands moving to my ass, giving my cheeks a healthy squeeze, completely belies her words.

"You almost convinced me just now. Almost," I tell her as I start to nibble on her neck.

As I start to get into what I'm doing, Bella sits up, leaving me startled.

"Oh my god! What time is it?"

"Uh…" I pause as I'm trying to see the clock's face. "3:07 AM."

"I've _got_ to show you something! I meant to tell you about it earlier, but you distracted me with shower sex."

"Wait a minute, _I_ distracted _you_?"

"We already went through that, and you know the answer is a firm yes," she says, distractedly. "Oh, there it is! Yes! Look, Edward," she nudges me and points at the TV screen.

I regretfully turn my body away from Bella's to see a man and a woman standing behind a table full of—_sex toys_?

"Bella, what?" I shake my head.

"Seriously, this is like Home Shopping Network meets Fredrick's of Hollywood. It's hilarious!" she crows.

"I don't even want to know how you know about this," I warn.

"You were a benefactor of the Eroscillator just as much as I was, buddy."

"You bought it from the television? With your name and everything?"

She turns to look at me, incredulous. "Why is that surprising?"

"Let me get this straight. You bought a vibrator from the television set and had it delivered to your home, and that's it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That's like buying pornography, you can't do that sort of thing. You can get arrested for that."

She gigglesnorts at my amazement. "No, you can't. Don't be ridiculous. Sex toys have gone mainstream, Silverfox. You can buy vibrators at Target now."

My jaw drops when she says this. "No, I can't believe that."

She nods her head, "It's true. The next time we go shopping, I'll show you. Granted, it's not the Eroscillator, it's more like a fingertip massager, but it still counts."

"You're a 60 year old woman. How do you know all this?"

"I may not have had sex for years, but that hardly means I've been sexually unfulfilled."

"I have to admit, that really turns me on."

"Shopping for vibrators on cable television?"

"Ah, no, the part about you sexually fulfilling yourself."

"Women get off as much as guys do, you know."

"Now that simply isn't true. I know for a fact that's not true."

"Are you a woman?"

I place her hand over my stiffening cock.

"Right, okay, not a woman. Got it," she giggles. "I'm happy to tell you that I happen to be a woman, so I know a little bit more about the subject than you do," she says, placing my hand on her breast to make a point. "And women need sex just as much as men do."

I sit there for a moment, taking all this new information in.

1. There is an actual cable television show that sells sex toys on late night TV. Will wonders never cease?

2. Bella Swan bought a vibrator from said cable television show. What's more, I have first hand experiences with that same vibrator.

3. Bella uses a vibrator to get off frequently, and she has for years. I remember watching her pleasure herself and it was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had.

4. She assures me that women get horny and they like to have sex.

So what exactly have I been doing all these years, beating off behind the locked door of the bathroom while my wife was asleep in bed?

"You okay in there?" Bella asks, sounding a little nervous.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that women can be horny. I always thought they'd prefer to cuddle than have sex."

"When you're sleeping with a naked Silverfox, it's kind of hard to focus on cuddling. Especially when your junk aligns perfectly with my ass," she giggles again.

"So, as we're lying here, you're thinking about having sex with me?"

"Why is that so hard to believe? Look, I know what I want and I don't see why I would need to hide from that. There's such a ridiculous double standard in our society that's patently unfair. Men are creatures who want non-stop sex, and women are the ones who need to hold them at arm's length. I mean, why can't women want to have sex just as much as men do? It's a complete fallacy that women aren't horny."

"You feel kind of strongly about that, do you?"

She smirks at me. "Yes, I do."

I can't help but kiss her for that. "I know. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you."

"Silverfox, I'm never going to be the woman who waits for you to make a move. I'm never going to be demure. I don't know how to be anything else aside from what I am. I hope you understand that. What you see here is what you get."

"Well, Ms. Swan, I wouldn't want you any other way. You're so refreshingly original."

"As my perennial favorite Oscar Wilde said, 'Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.'"

"I'm really glad about that, because I don't want you to be anyone except my Bella. Now get your buns over here so I can molest you."

**~xXx~**

It's been a few days since the Great Sexting Debacle of '12, and while Bella soothed my soul a bit, I still haven't figured out how to apologize to Alice for that. She hasn't called or texted me since, so I've convinced myself she's going to be emotionally scarred for the rest of her natural life. Bella keeps telling me that it isn't a big deal, but I can't believe her. It feels like a really big deal to me.

I've been agonizing over it so much that she coerced me to try out a yoga class today. She says it will be good for my energy. I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, to be honest, but I have no doubt that seeing Bella stretching out in front of me will give me a lot of energy. Energy that I plan to expend on her the minute class is over.

You see, Bella promised to wear a thong to yoga as an incentive for me to make it through the class. I'm not sure how she thinks that will help me in the slightest, because I'm either going to be leering at her ass or trying in vain to hide my erection from the rest of the class. I know if I can see the edges of it peeking out from her yoga pants, it's all over. Bella has been teasing me that there is a naked yoga class for men at the yoga center that I could attend instead, in case I'm too worried about what would happen with her stretching in front of me. She assured me that I probably wouldn't have to worry about an erection in the men's class, but she couldn't swear that there might not be any erections on my behalf. She even laughed as she said that. Laughed! The woman is a true sadist, I swear.

As I pull in to Bella's driveway, I'm incredibly anxious to be with her again, even if it must start with a damn yoga lesson. The first thing I see is her porch swing, and it brings a smile to my face. I'm totally having sex with Bella on that swing tonight. I'll deserve it after suffering through yoga.

I step out of the Volvo and look down at my attire for what must be the 100th time, making sure it's loose enough to hide any incriminating evidence that might pop up. I have biking shorts under my running shorts and a very baggy t-shirt covering it all up. I think it'll be fine, but I'm not going to feel comfortable about this until it's over, and maybe not even then. A promise is a promise, however, and I'm not going to renege on the one I made to Bella. I open the passenger's side of my car to grab the bouquet of flowers I bought for her when the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly breaks through my thoughts.

I look up to see a cop car sitting in her driveway. How did I manage to miss that? A woman gets out and crosses her arms, looking at me with suspicion.

"Dr. Edward Cullen?" Her voice is gruff.

How does she know who I am? I can't imagine what I've done that would require intervention from a police officer. In fact, I've never even gotten a speeding ticket before, so I feel very confused and concerned. Then my heart stops.

_Oh my god, I'm going to be arrested in broad daylight for sexting my daughter!_

"Yes?"

"What exactly are your intentions with my mother?"

Oh.

It's just Leah.

I'm overjoyed that I'm not being arrested. I'm overjoyed, that is, until it dawns on me—this is totally meet the parents in reverse, and it looks as though Leah would like to grill my balls over a spit.

**END NOTE: The erotic toy cable show is an idea from RBH651. Thank you so much for the plot bunny.**

**About half of you were surprised by Edward's sexting incident, and half of you saw it coming a mile away. I was surprised to learn that many, many people have experienced sexting incidents gone awry, and that made me giggle more than once as I read review replies. Thanks everyone for sharing those with me.**


	7. Chapter 7

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: I am complete and total review replyfail. Life has a way of getting away from me, and it's either write more, or write review replies. I assume the former takes precedent. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, pimped, and favorited my little story.**

**Thanks to Lupin4Tonks for niggling the details. She makes my nonsense fit for polite company. Okay, that's an outright lie; we all know nothing I write is fit for polite company. :P**

**Angelgoddess 1981 is my Twilighted beta and has pimped this story more than once. I don't deserve you, but I'm grateful for you nonetheless.**

**Things I own: I **_**did**_** have a box of 20 Timbits from Tim Horton's that accompanied me back from Canada, but alas, my boys scarfed them up instantaneously. *makes pouty face***

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 7**

"I'm sorry, what are my intentions?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

"I, um… well, I plan to spend a lot of time with her."

"Time with her," she repeats with a sour look on her face, as if I've just confessed to being a murderer.

"Yes, I am very fond of her."

"Fond of her?" Her look tells me that she thinks I'm full of shit.

While this is Bella's daughter and as such, I want to treat her with complete respect, I'm not entirely appreciative of her strongarm tactics. I'm not a criminal, after all.

"I think we need to start this over again. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot," I explain, moving Bella's bouquet of flowers from my right hand to my left. I hold out my hand to shake hers. "My name is Edward Cullen, and I'm your mother's, ah, friend."

She keeps her arms crossed in front of her body. Damn, she isn't going to make this easy, is she?

"Friend? Like 'friend with benefits'?"

I'm appalled by her insinuation. "No, god no! I love her."

Fuck. I didn't mean to blurt that out, but she's making me feel awfully defensive. Now my arms are crossed in front of my own body, mirroring Leah's stance. We have clearly reached an impasse.

"Leah Clearwater Black! You are way out of line here," I hear Bella shout out. She's standing at her front door with a handsome young man behind her. For a moment, my heart does a little clench, but I realize that there's no way this man is someone I need to be jealous of. In fact, he's probably Leah's significant other.

Bella runs the short distance from her front door to me then gives me a nice kiss before she does anything else. I hand her the flowers and she rewards me with a beautiful smile. For a few seconds, my universe happily contracts to include just the two of us.

An exasperated, "God, Mom!" brings my universe back to its sad reality.

Bella turns around on a dime. "Enough, Leah! I'm serious. Edward is a good man; no, he's the _best_ man. You will respect my right to decide for myself with whom I choose to spend my time. This has nothing to do with your father, or with the past, so drop it. Now."

"I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Give it a rest, Leah. If Mom thinks he's good enough for her, then he's good enough for us. Don't you think she deserves to be happy after all these years?" The young man then turns to me, hand extended. "I'm Seth, by the way. Thanks for making my mom so happy," he says, smiling.

I give his hand a firm shake. From the looks of it, Leah and Seth are like night and day—as different temperamentally as two siblings can be.

Leah still looks at me with suspicion, but at least Bella and Seth's pleas have caused her to uncross her arms. Slight progress, but progress nonetheless.

"I asked my kids to come over today so that they could officially meet my new boyfriend," Bella explains. "I didn't want you to be nervous about it, so I didn't tell you ahead of time. I hope that's okay."

I try to give her my most convincing, genuine smile. "Of course. You've already met Alice, and that was unplanned, so fair is fair."

She mouths the words _thank you_ when her kids are no longer looking at us.

"Seth, could you please bring Edward into the house? He needs to put his things inside." Bella just made it official to both her children that we have a sleepover kind of relationship. Very subtle and clever, but it still makes me a bit anxious.

Seth grabs my suitcase from me and we start to walk toward the front door. He leans over and tells me quietly, "Frankly, I'm just glad my mom is finally getting some. That's better for everyone involved."

His candor surprises me so much that all I can do is make a sort of choking _gak_ sound. I wasn't ready for that. Seth is obviously Bella's son, sharing her preference for open honesty. I don't think I'll ever need to guess how he feels about me, unlike his sister.

"I've never met anyone like your mother. She's very special to me."

"I've never met anyone like her, either. She's the most giving person I know. You couldn't ask for a better mom. When Dad left, she could have turned into a bitter harpy—like my sister—but she's never said a bad word about him to us. Honestly, she's just golden."

I smile at his words, nodding my head in agreement.

Once we get inside the house and he sets my bag down, Seth turns to me.

"Look, I know Leah comes across as a real hardass. She's got the intimidating cop thing down to a tee, but she means well, I swear. She's just worried about Mom. We both want the best for her after all she's been through. The difference is that I trust Mom's judgment implicitly—if she likes you, that's good enough for me. Leah? Uh, yeah… she's a tough customer. Give her time; eventually she'll come around," he assures me while he walks to the kitchen. He grabs a beer from the fridge and offers one to me, but I shake my head.

I chuckle at Seth's words. "That's almost exactly how your mother described her to me."

"She's not exactly comfortable around men. She was totally a daddy's girl until he left. Even though my mom let him go without a fight, Leah couldn't handle the fact that he loved someone else more than my mom. She rarely sees him anymore. Being with Syd has mellowed Leah a lot, but she's still never going to be totally comfortable around guys."

"So, she's only comfortable around you and her husband?"

Seth spits out his beer. "Husband? Are you kidding me?" He laughs heartily as he wipes up his beer from the floor.

I'm not sure why that's funny. Didn't he just mention Leah being with Syd? I look at Seth, confused and unable to make sense of his words.

"Oh, I get it. Mom didn't tell you. About Leah, I mean."

"No, she did. Your mother told me that both you and Leah are very protective of her. She even told me that Leah isn't very good with men."

"Yeah, you could say that," he says smiling. I feel like I've completely missed the punch line of a joke. "Edward, my sister is gay. Syd is her girlfriend."

Leah doesn't like men.

Syd is her girlfriend.

Leah is gay.

Leah is _gay_.

Well, that explains a lot.

"Oh," I finally speak. "Now it makes more sense."

"I thought it might. Just give Leah space. She really will accept you, once you've proven that your intentions are good."

Bella walks through the front door with Leah in tow. Leah looks like she swallowed something very unpleasant, like a bitter pill.

"Edward? My daughter has something to say to you," Bella says firmly, making it clear that the statement Leah will be making to me isn't done by choice.

Leah's body language reminds me of the time I made Emmett apologize to Rose for punching her in the arm on the playground in first grade. He was definitely sorry for making her angry, but he was also thrilled that she noticed him enough to tell the recess supervisor about it. He looked remorseful and cocky all at once. Eventually, they fell in love and got married.

"I'm sorry I was suspicious of you and I will try to be more… _understanding_ in the future."

"Thank you very much, Leah. As I said before, I love your mother."

She doesn't say anything. She lets out a sort of _hmm_ noise that's clearly a scoff.

"Leah…" Bella warns.

"Mom, you've known the guy for a _month_! For all you know, he could have dead children in his basement!"

My eyes meet Bella's and although it's completely inappropriate, we both crack up that Leah happened upon our little private joke. I pull Bella over to me and kiss her forehead while we laugh together.

When I look back at Leah, she appears to be mortified. Bella steps in at once. "It's a private joke, sweetie. Don't worry. I've looked through his entire house, and there are no dead bodies," she giggles.

I'm fairly certain Leah isn't convinced.

Seth breaks the awkward tension. "C'mon, Leah. Let's give the kids some space so they can bonk each other's brains out." He turns back toward me, "It was great to finally meet you, Edward. My mom was totally right," he beams.

I can feel my cheeks flush red, and Leah still looks positively affronted. Bella giggles at her son's boldness while shooing her children out of her house.

"Well, I think that went pretty well," Bella says with a sigh. "Thank goodness for Seth. He always balances Leah's stern demeanor."

"Bella, she hates me!"

"No, no, no, Edward, she does _not_ hate you. Trust me. She was just sizing you up. If she truly hated you, she wouldn't have even bothered to acknowledge you. You have to earn a relationship with Leah."

"That's almost exactly what Seth said to me—you two are so much alike."

"Seth is such a good kid. He's always been so sensitive and sweet. He took the man of the house role on very readily, and he's always tried to take care of me. Leah was more like my guard dog, growling at everyone who approached the front door."

"So being a cop comes naturally to her, huh?"

"Right. And my Seth is a counselor. He works with at-risk adolescents."

"I bet he's really good at it. He seems to have a way of making you feel at ease."

"I know. I'm so proud of both of them. As for Leah, she's unfailingly loyal once you've earned her trust. She has a heart of gold, too, it's just harder to see at first."

Using her hand as a starting point, I tug my way up her arm to get her body next to mine. I give her a deep kiss, because I can't seem to be contented with just a simple peck on the lips any more.

Bella hums out a lovely _mmmm_ for me and I feel her hands sneak their way under my shirt. As her fingertips dance over my skin's surface, I feel goosebumps erupt in their wake. I start to tug at her shirt when our kiss is suddenly interrupted.

"What?"

"Silverfox, we need to get to yoga!"

"I was hoping that I would take away any desire you had to go to yoga with that awesome kiss."

She slaps my ass. "Nice try. Get your things and let's blow this popsicle stand."

I give her a nice little groan. I'll go to yoga, all right, because a promise is a promise, but I never promised to enjoy myself.

**~xXx~**

I'm sitting next to my Bella in the Yoga for Seniors class at the Port Angeles Senior Center and we're surrounded by a gaggle of seven older women. They're fussing over me, vying for my attention as they introduce themselves. One woman even elbows another out of the way. I try not to make eye contact with anyone aside from Bella, because I don't want to have to make small talk.

"Let's get our yoga mats spread out, Edward," Bella says in a tight voice. I look over at her, and she looks a little upset. I wonder if I did something wrong.

"Uh, okay, sure," I agree.

"Deloris, could you please move out of the way so Edward can set up his mat?"

"Oh, silly me," she answers as a way to excuse herself, but doesn't look even remotely sorry. She barely moves at all, just enough for me to unfold my mat.

Bella looks like she's ready to throw a few darts at Deloris. I've never seen her look like that, and I'm confused. Bella's the nicest person I've ever met, always sunny and cheerful.

The instructor, Lauren, arrives and notices instantly there's a new member in class, namely me. She forces me to introduce myself to everyone, even though I've already been introduced. It's awkward and painful and I just want it to be over. Lauren looks at me, eyebrows raised with expectation, and nods her head.

This is one of those times when Alice's favorite word from her adolescence, _ew_, is actually a perfect word choice.

"My name is Edward Cullen, and I am accompanying my companion, Bella, to yoga class. She says it will be good for my energy."

I add that second sentence in hopes that it will act as a stopping point. If the guy knows the lingo, he can't possibly be uninitiated, and they'll leave me alone. Sadly, my hopefulness proves to be misguided.

They all reply at once.

"Bella is your _companion_? How long has this been going on? She never said a word!"

"Oh, we'll have to read your energy when you're done to see if it makes a difference!"

"What do you do for a living?"

"How old are you?"

"Are you married?"

"How tall are you?"

I want to crawl into the corner and rock myself into a trance. Women are confusing creatures on the best of days. Today? I'd almost prefer to be grilled by Leah Clearwater Black.

_Almost_.

Finally, Lauren puts an end to the shenanigans. "Ladies, give Edward some air to breathe! We can't possibly improve his energy by smothering him before class even begins!"

I can't believe that I'm thinking this, but thank you, Lauren. Thank you.

"All right, since Edward is a noob, we'll start out more slowly than usual," she explains. "Edward, if you need me to slow down, or explain anything, you just holler."

"Uh, won't hollering ruin the, um, energy?"

She winks at me, and all the other ladies—well, everyone except Bella—giggle. Bella's arms are crossed, and you can see a bit of Leah in her stance. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Bella is a little jealous, which is absolutely insane. Does she not understand that I'm completely and utterly devoted to her? I mean, she's hot and sexy and entirely too attractive. I'm never going to be able to concentrate on anything except her.

I lean over and whisper to Bella. "What is a noob?"

"A newbie. Uninitiated."

"Oh. Okay."

"Don't worry about those ladies. I'll make sure you're fine. Stick with me, and it's all good."

I can't argue with that reasoning.

We're lined up in rows, and I'm doing my best not to look at Bella, my sexy, sexy Bella who may or may not be wearing a thong under her skintight yoga pants. So far, I've been able to keep myself below half-mast, but it has taken an inhuman amount of strength to do so.

We start out with something called the butterfly pose. Our legs are supposed to unfold like a butterfly's wings, but mine look like a butterfly that ended up plastered to the grill on the front of a car. Bella's legs are resting on the floor. Lauren comes over and presses down on my knees. I feel the pull all the way to my groin, and it isn't a good feeling. How the hell is something this painful supposed to improve my energy?

Next, Lauren tells us to straighten our legs in front of us and bend forward. My knees instantly pop off of my mat. Meanwhile, Bella is completely flattened out, legs straight. How the hell does she do that? She moves smoothly from pose to pose, like a cat. She does it even better than the instructor.

We move into the lotus pose, the one you always think of when you imagine someone doing yoga. I will never imagine myself doing yoga in this position, however, because I never make it to the point where both of my feet are near my knees. I keep tipping over when I try to move my second leg. I try not to look at Bella, because it will just make me more frustrated. She's so good at this it's unfair.

"Edward, I've been doing yoga for years. It took me a long time to learn the positions," she tries to reassure me. I'm definitely not even remotely reassured.

We shift into the downward dog position, and it's the only one I've been able to do so far. It's just like the kind of stretching I do before I go for a run.

My success with yoga poses began and ended with downward dog, apparently. We shift into the downward dog split, which we alternate to stretch our right leg, then our left leg. No matter how hard I try, I manage to fall over every time I lift a leg. This is getting beyond ridiculous here. I look at the clock and realize that we have another 45 minutes of hell to live through before I can escape from this torture.

The warrior pose is next, and the only good thing I can say about it is that I don't fall over as I'm doing it. When we shift from the first warrior pose to the second—why the hell is there more than one warrior pose?—I manage to make the transition without falling over. I'm so proud of myself; I made it through two poses without falling down. Maybe this yoga stuff isn't so bad after all.

No, I was wrong. Perhaps it was a temporary surge of endorphins that caused me to be overly optimistic. We move from warrior II to the triangle, then move into the extended side angle pose, and I find that I can barely breathe because of the way my torso is twisted. While I'm not falling over, I'm also not breathing, and I think that kind of defeats the whole purpose of doing yoga.

As if it isn't bad enough to have _two_ warrior poses, I now learn that there are _three_ of the bloody things. Warrior III requires you to lift one of your back legs into the air and stretch your arms straight out in front of you. Yeah, there's just no way that's going to happen. I don't even attempt it, lest I put lives in danger. It might be embarrassing for me to take out the entire yoga class simply from trying to do the move.

From the warrior III, we do the standing split. It looks a little bit easier, so I try it out, but I can't get my leg higher than a 90 degree angle. Bella's is more like 180 degrees. Yoga is never going to be my thing, I decide right then.

We do the eagle, which involves standing up and twisting one leg around the other, so you're on one foot, with the standing leg bent. To make matters worse, you have to twist your arms together in the same way.

The human body shouldn't be able to twist into the shape of a pretzel. I'm a surgeon; I know these things. This is especially true when someone is more than 60 years old. Bella seems to be blissfully oblivious to the fact that bodies aren't supposed to move this way, because she's twisted up next to me and simply looking at her is painful. Let me clarify that—looking at Bella is always a true joy. Looking at her contorted into a pretzel makes me anxious, because I don't want anything to happen to her perfect physique, no matter how good yoga may be for you.

I endure another twenty minutes' worth of yoga poses until we're finally done with class. I don't think I've ever been happier to hear the words, "That's it for today. See you next week."

No, Lauren, you will _not_ be seeing me next week.

It isn't until Bella grasps my hand that I remember I was totally worried about getting a hard on during class. Who knew that obsessing over yoga positions would be enough to keep any sexual arousal at bay? I recognize that I just dodged a bullet _and_ fulfilled a promise to Bella. All in all, that was a pretty effective use of my time, even if it was a miserable hour that I'll never be able to reclaim.

**~xXx~**

On the way to Bella's house, we discuss the torture I just endured, otherwise known as yoga class. I don't want to be overly critical of my experience, but I also don't want Bella to get the impression that yoga is going to be a part of my regular schedule.

"I'm not sure it's such a good idea for you to go to yoga with me, Edward."

Well, that was unexpected.

"Why not?"

"Do I have to give you an answer?" she asks plaintively.

"Ah, no, you don't. I just assumed you'd want it to be part of our regular routine."

"Is that what you want?"

"You want me to be honest, right?"

"Always."

"I hate yoga."

"Really?" Her eyes are wide in surprise.

"It was torturous, and if I never do it again, I'll be eternally grateful."

"Now I feel bad that I made you go."

"Hey now, none of that. You wanted me to try something new, and I did. At least I didn't end up with an erection, which was my biggest fear."

"I wish I could say the same for the women in the class. It was like you were a stud in front of a bunch of bitches in heat," she says with more than a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"Bella, you know that you're the only woman who matters to me, right? No one can compare to you."

"Deloris practically covered the floor in drool, the way she was fawning all over you."

I have to laugh at Bella's disgust. "Deloris looks old enough to be my mother. She's got nothing on you. No one does."

"Well, if I end up having to chain you to my bed in order to keep the bitches in heat at bay, please don't be angry with me. You only have yourself to blame, after all. Such a Silverfox."

I shake my head, laughing at her ridiculousness. "I'll have to do the same thing to you. I don't even want to think about another man getting near you."

I park my car in Bella's driveway, and we make our way inside the house.

"Team shower?" She asks me.

"How is that even a question anymore? Of course there will be a team shower."

I manage to keep our sexual activities in the shower at the _tease_ level. When Bella attempts to ramp up the heat, I whisper a reminder in her ear: "Don't forget the porch."

"Bucket list sex. Yessss," she pumps her fist in the air. I just love the fact that she loves to have sex with me. Have I mentioned how amazing this woman is?

I dry her off after our shower and we both put on our thick robes to warm up. I drag her over to the bed and we snuggle under the covers while I pull out the official, typed up copy of the bucket list.

"Well, I can already cross yoga off the list. And I didn't even get sexually aroused!"

"True, true. I'm not sure that I feel okay about not being able to arouse you, though."

"Bella, if I hadn't been obsessed over how to contort my body in completely unnatural ways, you can rest assured that I would have dragged you out of the room before class was over so I could have my wicked way with you. I mean, you were wearing a thong. It takes a lot to get my mind off something like that."

She gives me a shy, yet satisfied smile.

"Does my Great Sexting Debacle of '12 count as sexting?"

"Absolutely not. You missed the intended target."

I groan, recalling just how badly I missed the target.

"Next time, I'll make you do it right next to me, so that it can't go awry. We'll get you to figure this out yet."

"So, only one thing to cross off the list, hmm? I feel like I've been sloughing off."

An idea suddenly pops into my head—a wonderful and lascivious idea.

"Excuse me, Ms. Swan. I'll be back in a few moments."

"Okaaaay."

I walk downstairs and look for my phone. I'm pretty sure I left it sitting out before we went to yoga. Once I locate it, I get the hugest grin on my face. I love being able to surprise Bella.

I slip my shoes onto my feet and quietly walk outside. I quickly dial her cell number and wait for her to answer.

"Hello?" She says, sounding confused.

"Is this Isabella Swan?" I say in a low voice. I'm trying to sound sexy, but I'm not sure it's working. I certainly don't want anyone to accidentally overhear our conversation.

"Yes," she replies, a bit guarded. "Edward, wha—?"

"Shh, Ms. Swan. I need you to listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you."

"All right."

"Good girl. Grab a bottle of your favorite lube and go downstairs to your living room."

She rustles around then I hear her footsteps on the stairs. I'm already hard, just anticipating what's going to happen next.

"Now, I need you to tell me what you're wearing."

"A bath robe." I watch while she answers my question. She has no idea where I am. She probably thinks I'm hiding in the living room.

"What's under the robe?"

"Um, nothing. Nothing is under the robe."

I suddenly realize that I have no idea what I want to say. I want to get her worked up, but I'm not sure how to get her there. Then it dawns on me that I can just tell her to do what I'd be doing if I were there.

"Untie your robe. Open it so that your tits and pussy are exposed." I hear her breath hitch after my command.

God, I never say things like that. I can't believe I'm doing this, but when I hear Bella's reaction to my words, I know I must be doing something right.

"Is it open? If I was there, could I see you, spread out for me?"

"Yes," she says, breathily.

"Grab some lube. I want you to spread it over yourself. Make sure that you're wet for me."

"I'm always wet for you."

"Lie down on the couch. Spread your legs. I want to see you."

"_Oh god_," she runs her fingers over herself and it makes me even harder, watching her like this.

"I didn't say you could touch yourself yet!" I warn.

Now she knows that I'm watching her.

"Where are you?"

"You don't need that information right now. Just focus on that gorgeous pussy of yours. The one that I want to fuck. You make me so hard."

This is even more erotic than I ever imagined. I can see why people love phone sex. To be able to watch while I'm on the phone is even better.

"All right, I want you to pinch your nipples. Pretend that I'm doing it for you."

I watch her tug on her nipples roughly, just like I would. I take my free hand and start to stroke myself.

She arches her back and takes her breasts in both hands.

"Move your hand lower. I want to see you touch yourself."

I nearly exploded the last time I saw Bella do this. This time, however, I'm the one telling her what to do and when to do it. I'm the one watching her and she has no idea where I am. I've ratcheted up the heat factor by a million. I'm so excited my cock is throbbing in my hand.

"Put your fingers inside of you. Pretend that I'm fucking you while you touch yourself."

She isn't even answering my commands anymore; she's moaning and breathing heavily.

"Do you want me to fuck you?"

"Yes."

"My cock is in my hand right now. I'm stroking myself while I'm watching you. I want to fuck you."

"Please."

"All right, you need to be very quiet. I want you to go out to the porch, where I intend to break your porch swing."

I'm already seated on the swing when Bella arrives. I'm naked and stroking myself. When she sees me, she throws off her robe and dives on top of me. Before I even know what's happening, she's kissing me passionately. Her hands are buried in my hair, which she uses to hold my head right were she wants it to be.

I slide my cock over her wet slit to tease her. She keeps trying to get me inside of her, but I slip the head away before it can go where she wants it most. She finally huffs at me and pushes my hand away, using her own hand to make sure I slip all the way inside. She pauses and releases a breathy, contented sigh before she starts to move.

As she works her body over me, I use my hands on her hips to give our thrusts more momentum. I become aware that I've been gently swinging us back and forth without even realizing it, which adds a delicious sensation. I'm sure there's a physics lesson hidden within the various movements we're making, but I can't be bothered with science at the moment. When you're making love to Bella Swan, you just kindly nod at the gods of physics and let them know you'll pay your respects later. My musings on physics experiments are interrupted when Bella commands me to "swing harder."

Well, yes ma'am. Don't have to tell me twice.

I anchor my feet on the porch floor and swing for all I'm worth. I can feel the effects of those damn yoga poses—my muscles are starting to ache and burn—but none of that matters because Bella and I are having a moment. And by god, this moment will be successfully completed, aching muscles or no.

Bella reaches down and starts to touch herself again and all I can do is watch and swing. A deep recess in my brain notes that I must get some WD-40 on the hooks because the swing is _very_ creaky, but again, that's to save for another time. I watch her come undone on top of me, her face a study in ecstasy and love, and I'm amazed that this is my life. I'm the lucky bastard who gets to call Bella Swan and say naughty things to her over the phone, who gets to command her to play with herself so I can leer at her through the windows, and watch her work her body over mine to give herself pleasure. Bella stops her movements, but I'm still swinging, realizing that my moment is just about to wash over me, too. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her down hard and then I just let go.

The night air is cool, so I sling a robe over Bella's body to keep her backside warm.

"Mmm. So nice," she coos. "However, I do need to let you know how disappointed I am."

"Disappointed? But that was really great sex! I pulled out all the stops, even," I pout.

"The porch swing is sadly still intact. The neighbors might call to complain about the squeakiness, though," she giggles.

I chuckle along with her, then kiss her forehead and deliver the news I've been holding back all day.

"It's really important for you to rest now, Bella, because I need to be sure your energy is maintained over the next three days."

"What's going on in three days?"

"Not _in_ three days, _for_ three days. That's how long our sex is going to last. Tomorrow, it's all about foreplay."

"Oh my god, you are a sick, twisted genius, Edward Cullen. I've created a monster."

"You have no idea, Bella. You really have no idea."

**END NOTE:** **Shahula was generous enough to nominate "The Silver Lining" for Fic of the Week at The Lemonade Stand. If you'd like to vote for this story, go to www (dot) tehlemonadestand (dot) net. The voting selection is on the right hand side of the page, and voting ends tomorrow (5/11/12). I'm absolutely floored that this fic was nominated. THANK YOU.**

**My thanks to Abby for planting the idea of three-day sex in my head.**

**Here is a copy of the bucket list in case you want to refer to it:**

**1. **_**Skydiving**_

**2. **_**Scuba diving**_

**3. **_**Yoga, during which I will not become sexually aroused**_**.**

**4. **_**Sex in the ocean**_

**5. **_**Sexting**_

**6. **_**Phone sex**_

**7. **_**Sex in public**_

**8. **_**Sex with Edward, tied up and at my mercy**_

**9. **_**Voyeurism**_

**10. **_**Porch swing sex**_


	8. Chapter 8

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: A huge thank you to my dear friend MsKathy for pimping this story on the Fictionators. I don't deserve you, but I'm glad I have you all the same, MsK. **

**Thank you to my beta, Lupin4Tonks, who makes me worry about her even when she's not trying to. **

**Things I own: Permanently straightened hair. Until it all grows out, of course. *****is excited*******

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 8**

I awake gradually, slowly becoming aware that I'm tangled up in Bella Swan's naked body. I pull her in even closer and instantly groan. To be clear, this isn't an erotic or happy groan. It's the groan of a man whose body should never have been contorted in impossible ways during yoga. It feels like every muscle in my body is rebelling against me.

I hate yoga. I officially, totally hate yoga, especially when it messes with my ability to snuggle more closely to Bella.

"That didn't sound like a happy noise, Edward. Are you all right?" she says with concern in her voice.

I creak out a response. "Yoooooga."

She laughs into the crook of my neck, and her breath tickles across my skin. It makes the yoga groan a little more worth it.

"Hmm, maybe I should give you a little massage while we do our team shower this morning."

"As if I'd say no to that."

I make a move to get out of bed, wincing when it becomes clear that my body is in full mutiny mode. I continue to creak and groan all the way to the shower.

She follows closely behind me, her arms wrapped around my waist. "You're kind of like Hansel right now, except that you're leaving a trail of groans instead of breadcrumbs."

"Hey, I need to make sure that you can find me in the shower."

"Silverfox, trust me—when your body is naked _and_ wet, I'll always be sure to find you."

I turn around so that I can see her face, and she looks like she just won the lottery. I'm not sure exactly why she's so happy to have me, when in actuality it's me who won the lottery. I drag her into the shower and show her all the ways in which I've won. Naturally, Bella turns the tables on me, rubbing down my sore body as the warm water works with her to ease away my aches. Even though we don't make love, the experience is very sensual; I never imagined someone's fingers on my skin could be so erotic. Part of me believes that the main reason it feels so good is that it's Bella's fingers that are touching me. Knowing it's her makes it mean so much more. As I'm lost in bliss while she massages my body, her voice breaks into my thoughts.

"I just remembered that I have to get my hair cut today, so we'll have to postpone the three-day sex-a-thon until I get back. Will this be at your house, or mine?"

"Who says it needs to be limited to one location?"

"Oh my god, what are you planning, my evil genius?"

I smirk at her. "Nice try, but I'm not telling."

"God, I love it when your kink comes out," she smiles at me. "You know, Silverfox, I'm simply not buying the story that your life used to be sexless. You're far too good at this stuff to have been so tightly wound."

"Are you serious? You know that I'd never lie to you, Bella."

"How is it that you know exactly what to do to get me going? How did you figure it out? How did you think up so many wicked new things to do to me? I mean, really, watching me through the windows while doing phone sex? The porch swing?"

I smile, marveling at my own ingenuity. "All I can say is that you inspire me. I want to—no, I _need _to—continue figuring out ways to keep you enticed. All I have on my side right now is time. Unlimited time—as in having sex for three days straight. Meeting you caused a dam to burst open in my brain, and now all I can think about is another way I want to do you."

I watch her reaction to my words. It's still a marvel that I can arouse her just by talking. Goosebumps arise on her arm. Her throat tenses as she struggles to swallow. I lean in to kiss her neck and I feel how quickly her heart is beating.

She wants me.

I want her.

Perfect equation.

Cupping her cheek, I deliver a verbal tease. "You'd better get ready for that appointment, now, hmmm?"

She groans. Loudly. I turn off the shower and grab a towel so I can dry her body with care.

"Dr. Cullen, you are the worst tease in the history of teasing teases."

"Thank you, Ms. Swan. I take that as the highest compliment," I tell her over my shoulder as I head to my room to get dressed.

"Wait, I'm not done with you yet!" she calls after me, planting a beautiful pout on her face.

I explain my plans to her as I pull on my clothing. "That may well be, but I have a three-day sex marathon to coordinate. That kind of thing doesn't happen in a bubble, after all. I'll see you at my house around 6:00," I grin. It's so much fun to play her—it makes me feel like a cat that toys with the mouse before it goes in for the kill, which is exactly what I plan to do to Bella.

I return to her side and kiss her forehead. "When you return, you need to know that clothing is entirely optional. And by optional, I mean you won't be needing any. Keep that in mind this afternoon."

I'm rewarded with a slight whimper. "How am I supposed to sit still to get my hair done when I'm thinking of you parading around your house naked?"

"It's a tough job, but someone has to do it."

I'd pump my fist in the air, but Bella might not take that the right way.

**~xXx~**

When I return home, I remind myself that I only have a limited amount of time to get everything prepared for Bella's arrival. For the next three days, I'm going to make sure that she knows exactly how much she means to me. I'm going to dote on her physically in a way that no one could have possibly done before. Well, at least I hope no one's ever done it before. She's so beautiful and kind and perfect and I need for her to understand that she's it for me.

Since I'm going to be holding my Bella captive, I'm trying to prepare lots of bite-sized treats that we can easily consume in between rounds. I even went to the fancy grocery store in Seattle where Alice likes to shop—Whole Foods—and asked one of the employees to help me find things that could be easily turned into delicious tidbits. She was very helpful; she even followed me around the entire store to make sure I found exactly what I needed. I had to come up with ideas for items that wouldn't leave a mess in the bed. Most of the snacks are already prepared, so that makes things easier for me. I don't want Bella to think that Honey Bunches of Oats is the only thing I can provide as a meal.

I get busy, arranging the food items by group. We have a fruits plate, with grapes, berries and melon balls. I have a tray of cheese cubes and bits of ham, for our protein. The Whole Foods lady said I should use pretzels to skewer the cheeses and meats, so I have a small bowl filled with pretzel sticks. Once Bella and I get to dessert—the kind we eat, not the kind I make with her—I have tiny tarts and cheesecake squares, along with a bottle of champagne. Dr. Edward Cullen doesn't do anything half-assed, and this is certainly going to be no exception. When my masterpieces are ready, I put them back in the refrigerator and wait for Bella to return. Honestly, I have to admit that I pulled out all the stops here. This is pretty sophisticated planning for a guy like me. I'm more than a little bit pleased with myself.

While I'm waiting, I start to think about our relationship. I haven't really had much time to take a step back and look at it from a more objective perspective, because we're always together. For some reason, though, I don't want to scrutinize it. It's not that I'm afraid it won't hold up to my scrutiny, because I know that it will, but it almost feels like a betrayal to Bella to even question this connection that we share. I recognize that if I can't even wrap my head around this thing between the two of us, it's no wonder that Leah picked up on that during our conversation. I would hope that my utter admiration for Bella is obvious, but what if it isn't? How do I convince someone like Leah of my total commitment to her mother? Fortunately Seth seems to be happy that Bella is happy, so I just need to keep doing more of that.

My mind wanders off to Alice, my sweet, thoughtful Alice. She was very warm and accepting of Bella when they met; I was fiercely proud that she validated my choice so readily. Alice is a very special person—if she wasn't already my daughter, she'd still be someone I'd want to know. It's always been that way between us, almost as if we have some invisible thread holding us together. It's only then that I remember that I sexted her, and I feel like I have to vomit all over again. I've been pushing that memory out of my mind every time it pops up, but I recognize that I'm going to have to deal with it at some point. I glimpse at my watch and see that I have time to call her. Taking a deep breath, I dial her number. From my _real_ phone, of course. I keep my iPhone far, far away from me these days.

"Hello?"

"Uh, Alice, it's me. Your father. Edward."

She giggles. I haven't said anything yet and she's already giggling? I groan to myself internally.

"Well hello there, _Daddy_," she replies, and swear that I can hear the smile on her face. "And how are you today?"

Just her emphasis on that word—Daddy—makes me shudder, especially knowing that Bella told me she'd never, ever call me that. This is 1,000 kinds of awkward and I have no idea where to even begin. While I love my daughter immensely, I understand inherently that she isn't going to make this easy on me; she never does. "Yes, um, well, I—" I stammer. "Look, kiddo, I screwed up pretty badly the other day and I simply want to come clean."

"Oh? I have no idea what you mean."

Did I say that Alice was a very special person? That she was sweet and thoughtful? I must have been describing someone else. The person on the other end of this phone line is no such thing. This person is set to torture me to death, slowly and cruelly.

I clear my throat once again. "Alice—" I'm interrupted by some more giggles. "What?"

I realize that Alice isn't giving me a small set of giggles. This has bloomed into one of those moments where you start with giggles and they spill over, quickly intensifying into a fit of full, rolling laughter, the kind that make it hard to breathe. I can feel the heat rising on my cheeks in response to her giggles.

"Daddy, I'm sor—" she snorts. "Can't get…ohmygod priceless…"

"Alice," I reprimand with a tight voice.

I hear her deep breathing in the background, trying to calm herself down.

"I'm sorry. But you have to admit this really is hysterical." I hear her start to giggle again.

"This is humiliating and embarrassing. It's not hysterical," I warn. Then a horrifying thought occurs to me. "Alice, you didn't happen to share this information with Emmett, did you?"

"No way. I might be silly, but I'm not mean. No, this is between you and me."

"You didn't tell Jasper?"

"He doesn't count. That's marital communications privilege."

"Urgh," I choke out. While I like and respect my son-in-law, I don't want him knowing about my sexual proclivities.

"Come on, Dad, you know me better than this. While I might give you a tutorial on how to properly send a text message, I'm not going to judge you. So you made a mistake; no one died. Just… try your hardest not to let it happen again, okay? I needed to bleach out certain areas of my brain after that."

"I got rid of my iPhone, so you can trust it won't happen again."

"You threw away an iPhone?" she says, incredulous.

"Well, no, I still have it, but I'm never going to use it again. Technology isn't safe in my hands."

"Says the trauma surgeon." I hear her cover the receiver and shout something in the background. "Hey, the kids are fighting, I need to run. You're officially forgiven. I'm really happy that you found Bella, by the way. She's good for you. Do whatever you need to do to hang on to her. I just have a feeling about the two of you."

Alice has always gotten _feelings _about certain things; when she was younger, I didn't give it much credence. As she aged, however, I realized that she was so remarkably prescient about a number of things she didn't know much about—like the stock market crashing, for instance—that it taught me to listen to what she has to say.

"You know how I feel about your feelings," I grin. "I'll do what I can to keep Bella happy," I vow to her.

"Yes, you do that, as long as it doesn't involve sexting me," she giggles, hanging up the phone.

While I may be in the clear for the moment, I suspect that this will be an ongoing source of amusement for my daughter.

I glance at my watch to see how much longer I have to wait. I'm impatient, pacing around the room now. My nerves have gotten the better of me. I'm not sure if I can pull this three-day sex marathon off; I'm starting to second-guess myself. I can't tell if it's because of my conversation with Alice or not, but since speaking with her, my anxiety has increased dramatically. I mean, how can I do this if I can't even manage to send a sext to the right person? And is _sext_ really even a word?

As my thoughts focus on Bella, I realize that one of the things I love about her is that she's not some hippie-dippie new age granola flake, the way I imagine most 60 year-old art-teacher-yoga-nuts must be. She's incredibly smart. Her brain works in such different ways than mine, but the stuff she thinks up is creative and complex. I can never guess how she'll respond to any specific topic—she turns everything into an adventure.

That being said, when she walks through the door from her hair appointment I'm flummoxed.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Uh, your hair. It's purple."

"Well, actually it's violet. It keeps the gray from looking too yellow."

"But it's gray hair, not yellow hair."

"Right, but some shades of gray can end up looking yellowed. The gentian purple counteracts the yellow tones."

"I'm afraid you've lost me there. To me, purple hair was always kind of punk rock."

"Yeah, well, so you found out my true nature. I'm a closet punk rocker when I'm not with you, Mohawk and all. In fact, now I have to confess that I was the physical model that Stieg Larsson used to create Lisbeth Salander. Damn, that was my last, best secret. Now you know them all."

"Who is Stieg Larsson? Lisbeth Salander?" I'm completely confused—Bella told me she didn't have any boyfriends after she and Jake split. And isn't Lisbeth a girl's name?

"_The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo_? Swedish film?"

"Okay, now I'm really lost. I have no idea what you're talking about, all I know is that your hair is purple."

"This purple hair, it's a deal breaker for you, isn't it?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You think you can scare me off with the color purple? Fat chance. You're stuck with me. I'm like Harold and his purple crayon," I waggle my eyebrows at her. "Completely tenacious. I'll draw my purple crayon all over you if you're not careful."

"Based upon the purple freaking you out, I guess I better not show off what's under the hood."

"I beg your pardon?"

"My purple hair isn't the only hair that I've altered."

I must look like an idiot, because once again, I have no idea what Bella is talking about. I feel like we're speaking different languages. She takes pity on me and helps me out by pointing southward. When I still look confused, she stretches her yoga pants by the waist and points again.

Oh. My. _Word_.

"Your vagina?"

"Mmhmm. It's supposed to make things more sensitive. I've always wanted to try it, but never had a reason to until I met a certain sexy Silverfox."

"I've never even imagined a woman who's bare. It kind of makes me feel like I need to pass out."

"Pass out in joy or in shock?"

"Both, actually."

"Oh, then I can't wait for you to test drive it."

"Neither can I, trust me."

"Such a smart Silverfox. How are my legs not wrapped around you all day long?"

"Well now, that's a very good question. You're going to have to figure that out once I start our sex marathon."

"I never imagined that I'd be at my horniest at age 60, but then again, I've never been sexed up for three days straight by someone like a Silverfox. Bring it on."

"Okay, so we're going to start here, at my house, right now. 24 hours of foreplay starts on my home turf. I have prepared snacks to keep us fueled up. Get your hot little behind upstairs, and I'll meet you in a few."

"Do I need to do anything while I'm waiting for you?"

"No, all you need is your body. Wait, strike that. I mean all _I_ need is your body. Naked. Now."

She starts to walk upstairs, but turns her head, looking at me over her shoulders. "Don't you dare keep me waiting." She gives me a coy grin, and continues her ascent.

**~xXx~**

When I reach my bedroom, I nearly drop the trays that I have in my hands. Bella Swan is naked and spread-eagled on my bed, and her pussy is bare. It's all I can do to keep from bounding over to her and investigating the situation up close and personal. I take a deep breath and steady the trays, setting them down carefully. I want to pounce on her, but my muscles are still crying foul from yoga. I move to her as quickly as I can, crawling across the bed on all fours.

"You really shouldn't have done that."

"You gave me very specific instructions earlier, something about _naked_ and _now_."

"Oh yeah, I did, didn't I?" I'm running my nose along her neck while we talk. "Jesus, I'm a clever bastard."

"What did you bring with you?" She tries to peek around my body but I hold her down.

"Ah, ah, ah—that's for later," I warn.

"Then what's for now?"

"You, of course," I smile.

"But you still have clothing on. Strip for me?"

I can feel my cheeks redden. "I don't know, Bella…"

"Please? Let go of your inhibitions, Silverfox. It's just me, and I love your body. It would be such a turn on. Then I can reciprocate the next time we're at my house. Tit for tat."

"Erm—"

"_Please_, for me?" She opens her lovely brown eyes wide, and I can't seem to help myself.

"Okay. But no laughing."

"You taking your clothes off is very serious business, I assure you," she explains.

She reaches for the bottle of lube that I keep in my side table drawer. I'm still trying to figure out how not to be embarrassed that she knows what I use it for, but then again, it doesn't seem to bother her at all, so why should it bother me?

"And what are you going to do with that?" I gesture toward the bottle.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" She answers me in this low, husky voice that goes straight to my cock.

"Fuck, Bella, are you going to play with yourself while I take off my clothes?"

"Mmmhmm," she smiles. "I thought it might give you the motivation you need to get that hot body of yours naked more quickly."

"Stripping implies slow and teasing, Ms. Swan."

"Take off the clothes, Silverfox."

I start to undo a button here and a button there, taking my time and watching Bella touch herself. I'm still not used to being able to watch her like this. It feels naughty, somehow, yet she's doing it out in the open. And fuck if it doesn't make me hard. I'm so involved in watching, I forgot that I was in the middle of stripping.

"Are you serious with this?" She chides. "Clothes _off_!"

I smirk at her. It's really kind of fun to get her going like this.

"I'm sorry, was there something you needed?"

Then she does the unexpected—she covers herself up with my blanket.

"Hey, wait a minute! I was really enjoying that."

"Now you know how I feel. The blanket will come off once your clothes do. Fair is fair."

Damn, she's good. She also has a point. I speed up my clothing removal to the _it's on fire_ level, so I'm naked and back on top of her before she even knows what happened. It's totally worth making my sore muscles unhappy.

"Ooh, so speedy! I should use that tactic more often."

"The blanket, Bella. Lose the blanket."

"Oh, right."

Once the blanket is history and within the space of a few seconds, I've maximized the amount of my skin surface that's touching her skin surface. I bury my face between her full breasts, loving the way they rest softly against my cheeks. This is exactly what biologic imperative means. Men developed brains that allowed them to love to the shape and feel of breasts and vaginas. Survival of the fittest comes down to the many wily ways women's bodies entice us to spend quality time appreciating their finest features, over and over again.

My thought process is interrupted when Bella erupts in giggles, which causes my head to bounce around between her boobs. "Did you get sidetracked down there?"

"Nooo, I was just musing on biologic imperative."

"What?"

"It has to do with the way breasts seem to be designed to draw men in and make us stay a good long while. I could stay surrounded by your boobs for days. Weeks, even. I might want to establish residency here."

"I'm certainly not going to complain if you do. They kind of like having you there."

I make a point to kiss each square inch of her beautiful breasts, because I don't want any part of them to feel left out. Once I've made sure they're perfectly covered, I pull back a bit. It's so much fun appreciating every square inch of her breasts with my lips that I decide to do the same with her body.

"Bella, I'm going to kiss every square inch of your body."

"Oh my god," she squeaks out.

I start with her feet and I take my time. I keep track of her every response in my head, so I know which specific parts will need to be revisited the next time I'm around. Apparently, the back of the knee is a special place that both excites and tickles Bella simultaneously. That's a particularly helpful bit of knowledge I know I'll be using again. When I get to her inner thighs, I spread her legs open but I skirt around the area she wants me to stop and notice. I grin as I kiss her, because she wiggles her hips in an attempt to make me stray from my path.

Oh, Bella, don't you know by now that I save the best for last? Silly girl.

When she feels my lips move northward, I'm pretty sure I hear her grumble out an obscenity. I love making her frustrated. I believe it makes for a much better orgasm, in the end. Really, she should be thanking me for being so thoughtful and focused on her pleasure.

I take my time, making sure every little last bit gets the thorough attention it deserves. I focus on the front, then on the back. I also discover that kissing the spot at the base of her neck makes her entire body break out in goose bumps. I wonder if anyone has ever taken the time to discover that about Bella—does anyone else in this world know that kissing her there has such wonderful repercussions? I have no idea what her sex life with Jacob was like, nor do I want to know. In my head, I'm just going to assume that he never took the time to touch her there, because that means I'm the only one in the world who knows about this spot. I want to be sure that I'm the only one who will ever hold such important knowledge. I can't even imagine another man touching her in this way. I know that Bella is it for me, but I feel a small twinge of anxiety when I realize that while she may love me, I'm not as certain that I'm it for her.

I stop my kisses for a moment when it dawns on me that what I'm wanting from Bella is actually a commitment. I need something that's real and permanent. While it may be premature for me to ask her to marry me, I'm certain that one day I will. We're going to need to talk about this soon.

As luck would have it, my musings bring me to a point where I'm hovering above the very part that I'm ready to focus all my energy upon. While I've been more than thorough with the rest of her, I intend to use laser beam focus on this newly bare body part. Until now, I've been exploring her mainly with my lips, but now my hands join them to fully cover the territory. I spread her open and gaze at how beautiful she is. I'm amazed at how different things look without their usual cover of hair. Bella's hands sink into my hair, not necessarily guiding me, but definitely helping me to understand when I'm doing something right. Her reactions tell me that I'm not the only one appreciating the marvel of a bare pussy.

"Edward… so good. Soooo goood," she croons. I'm in complete agreement with her on this. I suck her soft skin into my mouth, loving the way it feels on my tongue. In my excitement, I become a bit overzealous, trying to be everywhere all at once. Naturally, Bella kindly redirects me.

"The clit, baby. The clit. Please."

I take direction very well and do as I've been told. I suck as hard as I can, in awe of how much easier this is when the skin is slick and naked. I absolutely love the way her skin feels inside my mouth, on my tongue.

"Almost… yes, yes…_there_."

I feel her spasm around my fingers and accept it as my reward for a job thoroughly done. I continue to suck on her until she's spent. Once I release her from my mouth, she pulls me up to her face and kisses me passionately. As the taste of her mingles in both of our mouths, I get an epiphany.

Sometimes, you fall in love with someone and you think that's what true love is. You spend your entire life convinced of the fact that they're the one for you. But for some of us—like Bella and me, or Jake and Vanessa—it isn't until you meet your second love that you understand what true love _really_ is. You thought you knew, but when you meet this true love? Everything else falls away, and it's as clear as anything you've ever seen in your life; it's almost as if your previous relationship was a rehearsal for this new one. That's what you need to hold out for, even if you never find it. If you settle for something less, you might miss your soul mate when they come along.

As I pull her in close to me I hear her stomach growl loudly. It's not until that moment that I realize I've been working on her body so diligently that I completely forgot about my snack trays. I prepare to feed Bella some grapes and I see her shake her head at me.

"Oh Silverfox, I think it's you who needs to be fed."

I look at her with a furled eyebrow, confused by her statement. She just smiles at me.

"It's your turn next," she whispers.

That's what makes me finally drop the trays.

**END NOTE: In other news, I'm going to be traveling through Norway and Sweden for 2 weeks. I was just informed that my laptop is not going to be my traveling companion. Never fear, my trusty Moleskine will never be far from my fingers. It's my goal to finish writing this story while I'm gone so that I will only need to transcribe it once I return. Hopefully.**

**I've also had two stories get pulled from FFn for Terms of Submission violations. I'm not sure if others will be pulled. I plan on maintaining my FFn profile indefinitely until any/all stories are pulled. I'm considering adding my stories to another platform in addition to FFN, but have made no decisions as of this time. So, until further notice, I'll be up and running at FFn. JSYK.**


	9. Chapter 9

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: I'm positively embarrassed with how long you've had to wait for this update. My life has had so many twists and turns this summer, it's ridiculous.**

**Thank you to my beta Lupin4Tonks. Your countrymen put on a bloody good show on Saturday night.**

**Things I own: A customized **_**Forever**_** BD2 shirt from Comic Con. Hey, I waited TWO HOURS in line to get that puppy. So worth it.**

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 9**

"Goddammit!" I yell at myself. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I know that you're hungry."

"Shh, shh, it's fine, Silverfox. Remember, it's your stomach that was growling."

"I just wanted all of this to be perfect, and here I drop the best part on the floor. I wanted to do my best for you."

"I'm going to tell you a secret—that's _not_ the best part. I don't really care that you dropped it. Not at all. Just dust them off."

I look at her, alarmed. Eat off the floor? You can't do stuff like that. "But—the germs…" I start to retort, stopped midsentence by the fact that she's laughing at me.

"I promise you that I honestly don't care; I know it will be just fine. Come on, now. Pick them up and bring them over here."

I'm dubious, but do as she asks. "I don't know about this."

"Well I do. I've raised two children who grew into adulthood and occasionally they ate food from off the floor. It's all good."

"It isn't perfect."

"Again, with the perfect! Nothing is ever perfect. This has all been wonderful for me, so stop fretting. I mean, I've never had sex for three days straight before—that in and of itself is impressive. Human bodies are involved in what we're doing, which means that moments of complete imperfection will break through. It can't be helped."

I feel her at my side. Apparently my pouting face worked.

"Hey, you—_stop_," she nudges. "Don't you know by now that I'm a sure thing? You don't need to impress me. I'm not going anywhere. When you love someone unconditionally, it means that you accept them as they are, warts and all. And, just so you know, you have no warts that I've been able to find. Quit with the fretting already, Silverfox."

"How is it that you always make everything better, Bella? I feel like you wave a magic wand over me and instantly calm me down."

"Ohhh, you're the one with the magic wand, baby, trust me. All I do is give you permission to be yourself. To be human and flawed, just like the rest of us."

"Thank you for your unwavering support. You've made me whole in a way I've never been before."

She leans in, quiet, barely touching her lips to mine. It's the mere whisper of a kiss, but it's enough to jumpstart a fire. The food stays where it is and the trays are promptly forgotten as I quickly haul her over to my bed. Our bed. Before I even know what's transpired, I find myself sprawled out with Bella hovering over me sporting a naughty grin on her face.

Hang on a minute; I thought I was the aggressor here.

She straddles me and leans to whisper in my ear, "You're in trouble."

"Wait—I am? What exactly did I do?"

"You doubted yourself, and we just can't have that kind of behavior in this house. You're as perfect a specimen as there is. What are the other lesser males to do if you keep telling them that you're flawed? You'll be the downfall of all men for the rest of history."

"Hey, I'm not judging anyone but myself. Leave my footprint on history out of this."

"Doesn't matter, you're still in trouble."

"Well, damn. What's my punishment?"

"I'm going to tie you up and have my wicked way with you. Bucket list style."

Oh, sweet jesus.

"Um, that seems like a fair punishment. I really have been a very bad boy."

"I know. Don't worry, I'll be sure that your punishment is so severe that you'll be certain to repeat your error frequently."

A wanton moan escapes from my mouth. This woman is going to be the death of me yet, and if that's the case, I'll die most willingly. Multiple times.

Bella lifts one finger to signal that she needs a moment. I'm left spread-eagled across the bed while I watch her naked form walk out of the bedroom.

I marvel at her natural beauty, but I know that it's who she is within that appeals to me more than anything. I'm still amazed at how she happened to fall into my life. It makes me feel slightly panicked to know that had I not decided to learn how to do laundry that fateful day, we never would have met. Imagine if I had met her sooner—we would have had so much more time together. If I'm honest, however, I know that I might not have been accepting of her more artistic ways when I was younger; I would have missed having this exquisite creature in my life forever had that been the case. I resolve to simply appreciate the fact that we did find each other, and that's what makes all the difference.

Left alone with my thoughts, I ponder our current status. If I ran into an old friend, how would I introduce her to them? Is she my girlfriend? Am I officially her boyfriend? Those labels feel so trite, like I'm back in high school. I love her so deeply and know her so intimately, it almost feels like I'm belittling what we have to use such conventional terms. Really, the only way to describe us is husband and wife. I want that with her more than I've wanted anything else in my life, even more than I wanted to be a surgeon. It feels absolutely real and necessary. It dawns on me that I feel almost desperate to have that relationship with her. I start to wonder about what kind of ring Bella might like. Being an artist, I'm not sure I would know what she'd appreciate. How would I ever propose to someone like her? I can't imagine she'd be one for a grand gesture, but I'd have to make it special enough that she would be able to see how much I utterly adore her.

I could take her to Hawaii—we could go scuba diving, have sex in the ocean, cross off so many things on our bucket list. My brain seizes upon a Hawaiian vacation with her. Or maybe Tahiti would be better? It's remote, foreign, exotic, and I'm almost certain she's never been there before. They speak French, so it would be romantic in nearly every way. I make a mental note to take care of these arrangements when our sex-a-thon is over. It looks like I'll have a lot of future plans to make.

An annoying buzzing sound interrupts my thoughts. What the hell?

I sit up in bed, trying to locate the noise. I hear it buzz more loudly, followed by a loud _clunk_ onto the floor. I peer over the bed only to discover my damn iPhone.

God, I hate that thing.

"Look at your phone," I hear Bella say in a stage whisper.

"Bella? Where are you? Wha—?"

"The phone, Silverfox, the phone," is all she says.

With what is most likely a very sour look on my face, I retrieve the offending object. I click it on and see a blue box in the middle of the screen. At the top of the box, I see Bella's name. Underneath I read:

_I'm in the hallway and I can hardly wait to get upstairs and punish you. Be afraid. Be very afraid._

Below her comments are two rectangles—one says _cancel_ and the other says _reply_. I have no fucking clue what I'm supposed to do here. Ten percent of my brain—the unconfused part—is doing a huge fistpump of joy. The other 90% sits there confused and drooling.

Again, she whispers loudly to me, while the stairs squeak with her every step.

"Answer it. Press the _reply_ button."

The memory of the Great Sexting Debacle of '12 is fresh in my mind. I only got my apology to Alice done today for crying out loud. While I may love my Bella to distraction, there's no way I'm getting into this again.

"Noo. Unh-uh. No way."

"It's bucket list, baby. You gotta learn how to do this."

"Nope. I'll just send it to the wrong person again."

"It's from me. When you press reply, it goes straight back to me."

"I'm going to be firm about this. I can't do it, I just can't," I implore.

"I know you can. I know that one day, you're going to be a sexting demon."

"Not Edward Cullen."

"Yes, Edward Cullen."

"No."

"Yes!"

"Belllla, no!" I plead.

She huffs and stamps her way into the room. I notice that her breasts jiggle in really delightful ways when she does that; I'll have to annoy her more often. My attention is redirected when I see her set a small bag on the floor; my interest is immediately piqued.

"Eyes on me, not the bag."

"But—" I protest.

_Boobs_, my brain thinks.

She crosses her arms and gives me a very stern look. When she sees that my focus is back on her, she plops on the bed next to me. Patiently, she shows me how the text works, laying both phones in front of us. She types something on my phone. I watch as the message from my phone shows up on hers. She does the same process to her phone, and sends one back to mine.

"Now, do you see?"

"Yes, I definitely saw how it worked when I accidentally sexted Alice."

She gives me another impatient look.

"Okay, okay, I'll try."

I'm rewarded with a beaming smile. Her breasts look pretty amazing, too, come to think of it. I can't believe I have such a one-track mind when it comes to Bella's physique. This clothing optional idea is mightily distracting.

She sees me ogling her boobs and waves her hand in front of my face. "Edward?"

I grab my phone with an exaggerated sigh and bring it up close to my face, so she can't see what I'm typing. I push the _reply_ button and type in _I think you're very pretty_.

Bella's phone dings like a bell. She snatches it up excitedly.

"Pretty!" she exclaims. "That is _so_ not a sext."

"Hey, I'm just being careful until I get the hang of it."

She huffs loudly then sends one back to me. When my phone buzzes, I glance at the screen then promptly drop it as if it's a hot potato.

_I'm going to tie you up and make you suffer long and hard—and I do mean hard, Silverfox—for what a naughty boy you've been._

My heart is pounding I'm so turned on. I've never had someone tie me up before, and the excitement goes straight from my brain to my cock. Bella scoots so she's sitting right in front of me and takes me into her hand.

"God, I love your penis," she sighs.

"God, I love your hand."

She starts kissing me, hard. I can tell she's really into this, and I desperately want to make this good for her. I want her to enjoy our adventures, mild or exotic. I want her to enjoy _me_.

Suddenly, she pushes on my chest so that I'm lying on the bed. On her hands and knees, she looks closely into my face. "Have you ever been tied up, Edward?"

I swallow hard. "N-no."

"Are you okay with me tying you up?"

"Oh, yes," I moan.

"I'll do it loose, but if you need to be untied or anything else, I want you to say the word _red_. That will tell me to stop."

"Okay."

My erection hardens even more as I close my eyes, feeling her move over my wrists and ankles. I can't even imagine how exciting this is going to be. I keep thinking back to the message she sent me, and it makes me so excited, far more than I expected to be. This is really uncharted territory for me, but I feel safe because I'm doing it with Bella.

"Can I blindfold you?" she asks softly.

"Uh, sure."

"You've never been blindfolded before, have you?"

"No."

"Tied up?"

"Again, no."

"But you're sure this is okay?"

"Yes, Bella. I want to do this with you."

"Just checking. I mean, this is supposed to be fun."

Before she blindfolds me, though, I watch her lube her pussy, wishing my hand was there instead of hers. It gleams in the light without all its hair to cover it up.

"That's so erotic," I choke out.

She sits on top of my erection, sliding her slick lips over my length. My hips buck, trying to increase our friction. She smiles at my eagerness.

"Blindfold time."

When she slips the satin over my eyes, I feel my first sense of unease. My heart starts pounding.

What the hell is going on?

I start breathing deeply, slowly in and out, to calm myself. I have no idea what's going on here; I've never reacted like this before. I almost feel panicked. For some reason, I can't get past the fact that I can't move and I can't see. All I can think of is that I need to be free. I need to be able to move. All my energy is focused on escape, and my cock becomes a limp noodle.

"Edward?" Bella asks. She must see something in my expression that looks off. "Are you all right?"

"No!" I practically yell at her.

"What is it?" she says, tearing the blindfold off.

"Ropes! Off!"

"Okay," her voice is strained, and I see her hands shaking terribly as she fumbles with the Velcro straps. "God, I'm so sorry."

"Hurry!" I feel my entire body shaking with fear and panic.

Once she has me freed, I curl into a ball, just trying to slow my panicked breathing down.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Bella soothes me as I get myself back under control.

Slowly and gradually, my body calms once again. Instead of clinging to Bella, my lifeline, I turn onto my stomach, mortified. I want to hide from her. I've never behaved like this in my life, and I'm worried she'll think I'm a mess. Who can't stand to be tied up? I mean, what the hell was that all about? I know exactly what happened—I'd developed a phobia and had a classic panic response to the fear—but I've never had a phobia in my life. Why now? Especially when Bella was so excited to experience this with me. It's on our fucking bucket list!

I feel like such a miserable failure. Limp dick and all.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

I can't even look her in the face, I'm so humiliated.

She nudges me again. "Edward, what?"

I just shake my head. I'm acting like I'm 12, but I can't help it. I'm beyond ashamed.

"Are you upset that you panicked?"

I can't even look at her. I just shrug my shoulders. She turns my body over, but I keep my eyes clamped shut.

She makes soothing noises while she slowly works her hands over my abdomen, my thighs, my cock. Unlike usual, my body makes no response to her loving touches.

What is it about men that when we're young, we're far too eager and finish too fast, and when we're old, our bodies won't do what our brain wants them to? I feel sick. I hate this. I want to bury my face in my pillow, which is just as good as burying it in the sand. I want it all to go away.

"I'm so sorry I pushed you too far, Edward. I wish you would have told me that you have a phobia of being tied up."

"I had no fucking idea that I did!" I snap at her, instantly sorry for treating her like that.

She removes her hands from my skin as though she received an electric shock. I turn my body back onto my stomach in an attempt to hide from her.

I turn my head to the side so I can eke out a few words. "I failed you. I'm sorry."

She surprises me by turning my body from stomach to back quite suddenly—Bella can be pretty feisty when she puts her mind to it. It must be all that yoga she does. She sits in front of me with her legs and arms crossed, looking really pissed. I pull the pillow over my face in an attempt to keep hiding from her, but naturally she has to remove it instantly, throwing it to the ground. She then takes each remaining pillow, repeating the process.

"You're a grown man, so please look at me and discuss this. You had a phobic reaction to being tied up, but there's nothing wrong with that; it's not like you can help it. I don't understand why you're so upset. It happens. I don't care. I just feel horrible that I caused you to feel this way."

"It's not just that," I explain meekly, and move to cover my flaccid junk.

I feel my face flush as her eyes follow the movements of my hands. Her mouth opens wide in amazement, and I watch as her eyes trace the path between my eyes and my junk.

She breaks the silence with a loud scoffing noise. "Are you sulking just because you lost your erection? Seriously? Are you kidding me?" Her tone is indignant, but I don't understand why.

All I can do in response is nod my head. What the hell else would it be? I mean, how is this supposed to make me feel virile and attractive? How can she not understand that?

She pokes her finger into my chest, jabbing it in synchrony with her words. "You are beyond ridiculous, Edward Cullen, and I won't stand for this. I won't let you wallow over something as insignificant as losing an erection, or being afraid of being tied up."

"Can we just not do this?" I plead.

"Nope, I'm afraid you're stuck. If you are going to continue sharing a bed with me, this gets dealt with right fucking now."

I feel like I need to vomit. "How can I possibly move forward when I've disappointed you so badly?"

"You're under a complete misconception that this is somehow important to me, and you couldn't be more wrong."

"How is that even possible?" I croak out.

"You seem to think that your dick is supposed to be a supercock, but Edward, you're 65 years old. Things don't work the way they used to. Let's look at this from a different perspective. When I'm turned on by you—which is 100% of the time, 24/7, by the way—I'm supposed to get so wet that my pussy is literally dripping. I mean, that's that's the best way to know a woman is really turned on, right? We aren't even going to mention the fake orgasm screams you hear in porn, because they clearly aren't a valid indicator of sexual arousal. So, if I _am_ dripping wet all the time, why is it that I make you use lube every time you go near my lady bits?"

"Because you're menopausal and you don't make enough estrogen naturally. You literally can't get very wet on your own anymore."

"Exactly!" she exclaims with a grin. "I can't do it on my own. I have to put a vaginal moisturizer in every three days to keep things moist down there, and then I also use lube when we're having sex. It's a physical thing, a natural part of aging. It's simply a fact of life for women who have gone through menopause."

"I still don't see how this relates to me."

"Ugh, you're going to kill me with this, Silverfox! It's the same thing for you as it is for me! I can't get very wet on my own anymore, and likewise, you're going to lose some erections now and then. They wax and wane. You can't help it; it's completely beyond your control. Why would I ever be disappointed or upset by something you can't do anything about?"

"Oh, I never thought of it that way."

"The kid finally gets it."

"But we can't have sex if I can't get hard."

She shakes her head as if I'm a child who can't understand the principles of addition. "Mr. Silverfox, as you've told me before, you're a surgeon. You understand how the human body works. Sex is about so much more than peen in vagina. Some of the most erotic sensations come from what leads up to that part. If you focus only on finishing, it's like closing your eyes during the ride. You miss the good stuff."

I start to relax a little bit as I process what Bella is telling me. She's right, of course. She's completely right.

"Let me show you," she says.

She starts with a simple kiss. Cupping the back of my neck with one hand, she lifts it a few inches off the bed. I feel my head roll back gently, exposing my neck. Using her fingertip, she traces my jaw line from ear to ear, surprising me when she takes an earlobe into her mouth, sucking and nibbling on it carefully. When she's finished with my ear, she moves her finger along my internal jugular vein, and I notice how my pulse quickens in response to her touch. I am in awe of the small and subtle ways she is affecting my body. I hear myself sigh contentedly.

It occurs to me that there have been very few times in my life where I've focused on how wonderful it feels to be touched. This isn't the kind of touch that's a means to an end, like when my more youthful hands would make cursory grabs at breasts and asses in preparation for sex. This is about the sensation of connection. It's sensual and erotic, without any other goal in mind than intimacy, as if this will go nowhere else, with no other build-up in mind.

I'm stunned when I realize that in all my years, no one ever took the time to touch me like this. I always had to be in control, to be the initiator of sex. Jessica would hold my hand frequently, but she never really touched me. She would kiss me, or on rare occasions touch my cock, but there was nothing like this.

I open my eyes, watching Bella's fingers glide down my arms, leaving behind a wake of goose bumps. Again, such a small thing, but more proof that she affects me down to a cellular level; even my hair follicles respond to her touch. She pulls me to sit up, taking my hand into her own. She uses the tip of her nose to trace the various lines of my handprint, and it still feels incredible. It's just the tip of her nose, yet it can yield so much. She replaces her nose with her fingertips, just lightly moving them over my palm. Finally, her tongue follows and I listen carefully to how my breathing pattern shifts in response. I find myself coming completely undone, and it's from nothing more than her working over my hand. I suddenly comprehend what she means—sex is so much more than just two sets of genitals coming together. The entire skin surface is one huge sexual organ. I silently vow to myself that I will never ignore this again; I make it a goal to set her skin on fire the next time I get the chance. For now, I let her work her magic over me, allowing myself to receive instead of always being the one to give.

She silently kisses each of my fingertips and massages her fingers over the back of my hand. She sucks each finger into her mouth, taking her time. It's as if she doesn't want to leave any part of my hand untouched. When she's finally finished, I have no idea how long she's been at it, and I find that I don't really care. We're not on a timetable at all; I feel like she merely wants to cover every square inch of my body with sensation. In her touch, I can feel that on every level imaginable, she loves me, she loves my body.

I glance at her breasts and notice that her nipples are hard. I smile with satisfaction, understanding that not only does she get excited when I touch her body, but also when she touches mine. I might not have an erection, but my body can still turn on my woman. In a way, it makes me feel even more powerful than if my cock was hard all the time. I really need to stop putting this insane pressure on myself to perform. Bella doesn't expect it, she just wants to love me and be loved by me, no matter what the delivery mechanism is. She's so wise, and it makes me love her even more than I already do.

I watch her admire my other arm and hand, delivering the same soft touches and sensations that she lavished upon the opposite side. Skipping over my torso, she admires my legs with soft brushes of her fingertips. She gives me a foot massage, and it dawns on me that no one—literally no one—has touched my feet before. It feels amazing and surprisingly erotic. I'm a man who was trained in the methods of western medicine and science; the idea of acupressure and massage always seemed laughable to me. As Bella's hand works on my foot, however, I have yet another epiphany: there's most definitely a connection between different areas of the body. When she presses certain spots, I swear that I can feel it all over the place. I'm shocked at this discovery. How many things have I missed out on because I was too arrogant to keep an open mind? With that thought, I realize that Bella Swan has caused profound changes not only in my life, but also in my mind. Time after time after time, she has shown me new ways of looking at things. It all makes me wonder how much I will continue to change and grow based upon her influence. I barely even recognize myself any more, but in the best of ways. I had no idea I could be this person that I've become under her tutelage, and I'm not even trying to change.

Without saying a word, she turns me onto my stomach and gives the same attention to my backside as she did to my front. Her fingers barely touch along my spine, but the sensation is electric. When she switches from fingertips to tongue, I let out a strained gargling noise in response. I can't begin to quantify how incredible it feels. I had no idea that the back was an erogenous zone. I've completely ignored it all these years, only to discover how sublime it feels to be touched there. Her hands move to my ass, merely touching the skin's surface lightly. When her finger runs along the crease between my upper thigh and the bottom curve of my rear, my hips instantly lift off from the bed in response.

I'm actually caught off guard by my body's autonomous movements; it's totally unexpected. I've always been a cerebral person, having difficulty turning off my thought process when having sex. This new experience of allowing myself to be touched, not knowing what to expect, lets me focus on each individual sensation. My body is simply reacting independently from my mind and I never know what it's going to do. I never imagined that the most basic form of human contact—finger on skin—could feel so overwhelmingly erotic.

Once again, this is all Bella's doing. She pushed me past the edge and I almost felt broken—fearful and humiliated. If I had allowed my instincts to take over when that happened, I would have asked Bella to leave and I would have ruminated about it, making it ten times worse than it actually was. If I'm completely honest with myself, I don't know that I could have ever fully recovered from that. I think it would have niggled away in my brain forever, always casting an invisible shadow over my sexual life with her. Instead, Bella forced us to address what happened, to deal with it, so that we could move past it. I've never been good at accepting my mistakes; from the time I was a child, I always hated doing things wrong. Being a surgeon only intensified my need to be perfect. I've spent 65 years honing my need to strive for perfection. Within the span of a few hours, Bella showed me a new way, a gentler way, a better way to live my life: by accepting that mistakes are going to happen, but it's okay, because that's how we learn and grow.

I'm suddenly overwhelmed with a rush of energy. A surge runs through my body as I fully embrace what I've just discovered. Without even thinking, I sit up abruptly and pull Bella into my arms. I can't help but smother her with kisses, grabbing her all over, trying so hard to communicate my love, my devotion, my admiration for her. My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears. I'm panting and sighing. I have no control over what I'm doing; I'm all passion and emotion, impulsivity and spontaneity. For the first time in my entire life, my brain has no connection to anything that's happening. While this is very disconcerting, it's also completely and totally freeing.

_This_, I think; this is love. This is real. This is possible. This is phenomenal. This is everything.

Perhaps sensing my utter undoing, Bella pulls back from me, a look of shock on her face.

"Silverfox, what's come over you? Are you all right?" she asks, concerned.

I sit there for the span of a minute with my mouth gaping, unable to form any words that could possibly capture what I'm presently feeling.

"No, Bella. No, I'm not all right."

"Is it still bothering you? The restraints?"

I shake my head vigorously.

"I feel so different. I can't even find words to say how I feel…" I trail off. I have no idea how to share with her this incredible feeling I'm experiencing.

I take a few deep breaths, attempting to center myself. Bella looks panic stricken and I need to be able to reassure her that everything is fine. In fact, it's so much better than fine.

I start by kissing her forehead so she knows that this rush of emotions all comes from a place of sheer and utter bliss.

"You are such a unique person, and I mean that in every sense of the word. I've never met anyone like you. You're full of love and absolute kindness. You give and give without any expectation of reciprocity. You move through life with flexibility and yet so much strength. You let your husband go to another woman, but you harbor no resentment. You're like a beacon of everything that is good. You're my sun—you're the center of my universe. You've taken everything that I'm afraid of and shown me that fear is useless. You've given me permission to be who I really am. You accept me for all my shortcomings. I'm in love… I'm so in love with you. Over and over again, I'm convinced I could never be happier, never be more in love, and I keep proving myself wrong. No, _you_ keep proving me wrong. The way I feel about you, it's limitless, and I'm so overwhelmed by my emotions. I've never felt this way before. You're everything to me."

Bella moves into my lap, wrapping her legs around me so our faces are only inches apart. She's got tears in her eyes and her smile is so wide, so genuine and pure.

"Oh, my Silverfox, my beautiful, beautiful man," she coos softly. "You have no idea, do you? The wonder isn't me, it's _us_. It's what we make together. We're both better because of what we bring out in one another. It's our positive synergy."

Bella's tears are coming down harder now, big thick streams down her flushed cheeks.

"Really? It's us?" I wonder at her statement. "It seems like it's all you. That's how it feels to me."

"I haven't had a single significant relationship since my marriage ended years ago," she reminds me. "I'm hardly a relationship guru—anything good that stems from me is brought about by you, by your effect on me."

Is it possible? That alone, we're just fumblers in the dark, but together, we're a masterpiece? How else could I possibly begin to describe what's happening to me?

I wipe her cheeks then kiss her underneath each eye to honor the emotions that brought forth those tears.

It isn't until I feel her hand on my penis that I realize I'm no longer limp. I let out a deep breath of satisfaction because every time she touches me, it feels so good. She reaches for the bottle on the nightstand then generously spreads the lube over my erection. She is careful and thorough, and takes time to coat herself as well.

Without uttering a word, she slips onto me, I slide into her, and we look into each other's eyes. My arms are wrapped as tightly around her body as hers are around mine. In a combination of her efforts and my own, our bodies move together, soaking up the sublime feeling of making love. It's the first time I've had sex where I have no need for conclusion in my mind, I just want to soak up the incredible sensation of being inside of her. I almost want to stay like this forever, knowing that I will never again feel this connected to another human being. Our minds and our bodies are in complete harmony. Our gasps are a concert.

She comes slowly, almost like a sigh. Once she's finished, I continue my slow strokes, again just feeling the sensation. I eventually arrive at the finish line, and it's almost more satisfying emotionally than physically. For the first time, I understand that who comes first, who comes second—none of that really matters. What's truly important is that we're satisfying each other in so many other ways than a scoreboard. Pleasure, which we gain in so many other ways than just bonking each other silly, is what we must always strive for.

We collapse onto the bed, spent from our emotional whirlwind. I feel like the Grinch when his heart grew three sizes, beaming and content and amazed at the wonder that is love. I pull my Bella in close to me, and we drop off into the kind of heavy sleep that arrives when you're fully satisfied from having lived perfectly in every moment of the day.

**END NOTE: So, I've been interviewing for a new job that I wasn't exactly looking for. I've been through seven—yes, seven—interviews so far, and I think I've reached the end. Suffice it to say, my life is interminably chaotic, and it's going to continue to be for the foreseeable future.**

**I am fully committed to completing this story, but I won't give it short shrift just to get it finished. It's also clearly going to be a bit longer than 10 chapters. As it's presently sketched out, I anticipate it will be a total of 12 chapters. The good news is that chapter 10 is already half written, so it should post much more quickly than did chapter 9. If I do get this new job, one of the things I'll ask for is a week off in between in order to get this puppy wrapped up. I just hate it that I've been making you all wait so long. Thank you, for those of you who are still with me, for being so patient.**


	10. Chapter 10

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: Once again, apologies for my inability to get chapters completed more quickly. Also, my sincere thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing this story. I always want to reply to each and every one, but life has a way of complicating the best of intentions. **

**Thank you to my lovely Mycrookedsmile Jen for agreeing to beta for me in a pinch. She's the best.**

**Things I own: A broken iPhone that is hobbling along until the new iPhones are released. **_**Dear Apple: PLEASE hurry with your new release.**_

_**WARNING: This chapter contains a sexual scene with backdoor action that might not be for everyone, JSYK.**_

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 10**

Thoroughly exhausted from our strenuous activities of yesterday—both physical _and _emotional—we sleep in, even though we didn't plan that part; as so much is with my Bella, it's spontaneous, and therefore perfect.

My many years as a surgeon have permanently messed with my sleep habits—my work hours were always sporadic and unpredictable. I never knew when I'd get to sleep, or how long I'd be able to sleep, so I learned to take power naps whenever I could; I worked when the surgeries arrived, day or night. Even though I'm retired, my body is still confused by its natural circadian rhythms. Old habits die hard, so I can rarely sleep more than a few hours at a stretch, even now. As such, I'm blown away by the fact that, in Bella's arms, I slept through the night.

Naturally, the reason I did awaken is because my bladder is being a whiny bastard. I untangle my body from Bella and relieve myself. Afterwards, I make my way to the kitchen to prepare our breakfast, which will naturally be served in bed. This morning's selection will pale in comparison to what I have planned for tomorrow, but that's all right, because we're only halfway through my Sex-a-Thon.

I arrange some of Bella's favorite Starbucks mini treats as artfully as I can onto a platter. We have several types of mini donuts and her petite vanilla bean scones. For my piece de resistance, I follow the picture the Whole Foods lady gave me on how to make yogurt parfaits. She said this would be a really impressive thing to make. Using some glasses, I carefully layer the yogurt and berries, sprinkling granola on top—apparently, a surgeon's hands can be adept with something besides just a scalpel. When the coffee is been brewed, I transfer it into a thermos bottle and make my way back to the bedroom.

I almost drop the trays once again, because Bella happens to be stretching her naked body in my bed. Having learned from the last time, however, I quickly set the food down before I drop it.

"Good morning, garcon," Bella smirks. "That looks delicious."

"I got your favorite things from Starbucks," I explain, proud that I knew what would please her.

"You mean the stuff on the plate? Oh, it looks fine. I was referring to the delicious-looking meat platter."

"Bella, there is no meat—" I start to explain, but then I realize what she's really saying, blushing profusely at her insinuation.

Finding myself suddenly unencumbered by food trays, I impulsively dive onto her body. Judging from her squealing response, she wasn't prepared for me to be so spontaneous.

"Yeah? I'm happy to add some protein to your diet," I whisper in my rough morning voice. Bella's three steps ahead of me, as usual, reaching for my cock before I can even complete my sentence.

"Do you know how unfair and unnatural it is for you to look so hot in the morning? It only makes me want to attack you even more than usual."

"I believe I'm the one in attack position right now," I correct her. I tighten my hold over her body to prove my point.

"I want you," she responds.

Apart from _I love you_, those are undoubtedly the three most important words in the English language. How can you prevent being turned on when someone like Bella Swan says that to you? It's a trick question, because you can't.

As powerful as those words are, however, I stop her in her tracks. I have a schedule that I need to adhere to, an important agenda, and Bella wanting me isn't up for grabs right now.

"And I want you, too," I begin. "However, the 3-day sex party is moving to your house today, and there are things we need to put into motion for that to happen,"

"But," she pouts, "Can't we do both things? A little nookie, a little breakfast, move over to my place?"

"I think you know by now that where you're concerned, a little nookie is never really an option. That's like having a little chocolate. Or a little Scotch. Once you have a taste, you need more. You're positively addicting and I can't possibly limit myself once I get started with you."

A very satisfied smile blooms on her face, so I know she understands. Getting back to my non-sexual agenda, I pour her a mug of coffee and hand over her morning treats. We down our breakfast amid happy moans. These little devils are pretty tasty.

I decide to spoon up some yogurt for her, and she stops my hand. "Where did you get this?"

"Uh, I made it?"

She shakes her head, still grinning. "Oh my god, you aren't real. You just _are not_ real."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes, you did. You keep inventing new ways for me to fall more deeply in love with you. When a man whose specialty is one of two kinds of Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast makes yogurt parfaits for me, how can I not be blown away? I mean, you clearly pulled out all the stops, Silverfox. It's almost unfair. My heart didn't even have a fighting chance. Not only that, you deliver this stuff in the nude, with that beautiful penis as an accoutrement, and I just… I cannot. You simply can't be real."

Slyly, I grab her hand and move it onto my cock while shaking my head at her. "See? Very real. Very, very real."

"Hey, I thought we had a different agenda here."

"Oh yeah, that's right. We do. Damn," I answer, taking her hand away as I watch a pout form on her lips.

I don't explain to her that another part of my agenda is to get her really hot and bothered by the time we arrive at her house. I have plans in this head of mine, and they _will _transpire.

"So, I was thinking we should get in the shower."

Bella raises one eyebrow in response.

"Um, so we can move the party over to your house," I clarify.

"Ahh. Then it's best if we shower separately, I think."

"I promise to behave myself if you let me join you."

"Sadly, I can't promise the same. Why don't you shave while I shower?" she suggests.

I let out a deep sigh of rue and agree to her terms. Bella Swan drives a hard bargain.

Still, that doesn't mean I don't watch her while she's showering. I'm only human, after all.

When she's finished, I hold her towel open for her. She smiles broadly at my chivalrous ways, but little does she know that I'm not really being unselfish at all; I just want another chance to ogle her body. My reaction to her body only serves to help me rush through my preparations so we can get over to her house. I'm so wound up, I feel like nothing more than a horny 17 year-old male.

**~xXx~**

When we finally make it to Bella's house, I have a few things that I need to prepare. I put a DVD in her hand and ask her to set the bedroom up for us. We're going to spend the rest of the day watching movies, snacking, and making love, but not necessarily in that order.

While her attention is otherwise occupied, I stealthily sneak out to Bella's porch with a can of WD-40 in hand and oil the swing. I have aspirations to break it tonight, and I'd prefer to do so without broadcasting it to the neighbors. Since I'm not as young and strong as I used to be, I also take my screwdriver and loosen up the swing's screws. I'm not opposed to getting a little help when it comes to meeting a specific goal.

I meet Bella in her bedroom and a tray of snacks. We're going to nosh and love and relax for the rest of the day, and I'll be damned if I'm going to interrupt any of that with something as unnecessary as fetching food. Everything we need will be right at our fingertips.

I smile in response to my devious planning skills. Surgical training prepares you to imagine unforeseen consequences, so you're naturally three steps ahead and can avoid costly mistakes—it's a little bit like playing chess. Such training has proven to be highly useful in my relationship with Bella Swan. It's all part of my intent to keep her dazzled.

Clearly, I'm a sexual genius; pity I'm only now discovering this about myself.

I hand a bottle of cold water to Bella while taking a swig from my own.

"Edward, have you ever experienced a prostate massage?"

I spit some water out of my mouth. "Uhhh, hmm," I mumble.

"I take that as a no, then."

I just sit there like a goon, mouth agape. She can't possibly be serious. What woman would ever willingly put her finger up someone's ass?

"Is that something you'd like to try sometime?"

I'm quiet, still trying to wrap my head around the imagery of Bella doing that to me.

"Um, well, I guess…" I'm stalling and she knows it.

"You're afraid to try it."

Am I? My brain hasn't even gotten to the part where I might actually enjoy such a thing.

"When you put it that way, yeah, I guess maybe I am," I admit.

"Would you be willing to let me try?"

My mind quickly goes to the tie-me-up, tie-me-down incident from yesterday, and Bella can sense what I'm thinking.

"Is it too soon?" she asks in a small voice.

I shrug. I really don't know.

"It's okay, baby. I understand. Another time."

My brain isn't processing the details as quickly as Bella is making presumptions, so I need to stop her in her tracks.

"Just wait a minute, please," I implore her. "I didn't say I don't want to do it, I just need some time to think this through."

"That's why I said we could just do it another time."

"But what if I want to do it _this _time?" I ask.

"Do you?"

"The only time I've ever experienced anything in my ass is when I have my yearly prostate exam. Trust me when I say there is nothing remotely sexy about that process. I know that stimulating the prostate is supposed to feel good, in theory, but I can't even picture the scenario."

"Why do you need to picture… Oh. _Oh_," her eyes widen. "You're thinking of my finger, aren't you?"

"Well, that's usually what's involved in a prostate massage."

She starts to giggle out loud. Why is that funny?

"No, no, no, Silverfox, that's not what I'm talking about."

"Okay, then, explain yourself," I challenge.

She hops up from the bed and returns with her little pink suitcase. The one where she keeps all her toys. I smile in response, because this box? I know that it holds only fun toys inside. I can't wait to see what she has to show me.

Well, I can't wait to see it until I see something shaped like a penis in her hand, and then I feel like I just got a mental kick to the groin.

I can't deal with having something shaped like a penis going into my body. I'm willing to try a lot of different things for Bella's sake, but this isn't one of them.

She sees the change in my mood and starts to furrow her brow. "What is it?"

I can't even put a name to it. I just point at the thing in her hand.

A relieved smile blooms on her face. "Oh, this has you worried?" She dangles the vibrator in my face. "Silly you. I'm just digging through the box. This isn't what I'm looking for, so cool it. No jumping to conclusions, okay? Give me a minute." She turns her attention back to the suitcase.

She uses the lid of the box to shield the object from my view.

Such a little tease.

I watch her pull out a black object that looks like the modern version of a prehistoric fertility amulet. Well, if I was squinting my eyes, that's what it would look like—a stick with an oversized erection protruding from it.

"Oh my god."

"I've been doing my homework, and I ordered this just for you," she explains. "Regular prostate massages can improve your erections and give you more satisfying orgasms," she explains. "Did you know that it can protect you from prostate problems if you ejaculate on a regular basis?"

I have to laugh at her. "Bella, in case it slipped your notice, I'm a doctor. Yes, I know that ejaculation is a way to keep your prostate healthy. I hardly think that's a problem for me ever since I met you."

Even before I met Bella, my dick and my palm were well acquainted.

"This puppy is going to help even more, then. I can't wait to see how you like it!"

Smiling, she looks me up and down. "You have on way too many clothes, Silverfox. Get naked," she commands.

"Yes, ma'am," I tell her while I start to remove my clothing. "Anything you say, boss."

She sets the pink suitcase aside and sets the vibrator and some lube on the bed. "Lay down," she points at the bed.

I follow her order and settle into the middle of the bed. She's so keyed up about this new toy that I find myself caught up in her enthusiasm.

She somehow manages to get undressed without standing up and it's so much fun to watch. You'd never know she's sixty from the way she acts, which is one of the myriad reasons I love her so much. She's fresh, vibrant, and always seems to act in completely unexpected ways.

She crawls over to me so that her body is hovering over mine. Her hair forms a veil over my head as she leans in to kiss me. I reach up to cup her breasts in my palms, relishing the way her nipples tighten in response to my touch. When she playfully bites my lip, I pinch her nipple and she moans into my mouth.

Dissatisfied with the distance between our two bodies, I put one hand around the nape of her neck and the other at the small of her back and pull her body onto mine. We melt into an array of hands, lips, fingers, tongues and simply enjoy the intimacy of being so close to each other.

Eventually, Bella breaks away and gives me a naughty smile.

"Are you ready to give this a try?"

I nod my head vigorously.

She takes her time, slowly applying lube to my hard cock, to her beautiful pussy, to the toy, to my ass. She slips something over her middle finger and puts lube on that, too. Confused, I grab her hand to look at what she's done.

"Finger condom," she replies matter-of-factly, wiggling her finger in front of my face.

"You are the most clever woman I've ever met."

"Well, it helps with the mess," she explains.

Without another word, she takes my erection in one hand and starts rubbing her finger over my ass, working her way up to slipping the finger inside. I would never have dreamed of going this far with anyone else. Something about allowing someone access to such a delicate area of your body requires an absolute faith and trust in the other person.

I'm surprised by how good this feels. In fact, the deeper she gets, the better it feels. She's watching my responses closely, using them to gauge her movements. She takes a moment to withdraw her finger and remove the condom, quickly replacing it with the vibrator. When she turns it on, she already has the tip positioned near my entrance and the effect is instantaneous and electric. If I thought her finger felt good, it has nothing over the vibrator.

"Huuuuuuh—jesusfuckinghellgod" is the only response my brain can conjure up. My ensuing groan comes from deep within me, like some primitive, animal response has been awakened.

"Feel good, baby?"

I can't even form words anymore, but I do moan, which seems to appease her need for approval.

She begins to work the tip in and out of me, gradually getting it deeper and deeper. The vibrator is made up of a series of graduated ovals, each one smaller than the first. There's a sharp pain when she gets to the thickest part of each oval, but once it gives way to the smaller end, the pain melts into this incredible pleasure. As she starts to move the next oval into me, the process is repeated, but with each repetition, it gets easier to handle. When it's finally completely inside of me, the handle is flush against my perineum, even to the point where it massages my balls, too.

"You good?" she queries.

"Uhhhhhh," I try to respond.

When I open my eyes to look at her face, triumph is written all over it, and deservedly so. Forget what I said earlier; Bella has completely trumped me—_she's_ the sexual genius in this duo, without a doubt.

Without saying another word, she straddles my chest, but with her back to me. Grabbing my erection in her hand, she slides herself onto me.

Holy fuck, she's going reverse cowboy on me.

I secretly check my pulse to ensure that I'm still alive, because this cannot be happening to me. I have a vibrator up my ass delivering the most incredible stimulation while Bella Swan is moving over my cock, riding me for all she's worth.

If this is what heaven is like, please, god, kill me now.

Just when I think this can't get any better, I feel her hand on my balls. She's using the tip of the vibrator's handle to stimulate her clit.

It's too much; it's simply way too much for my senses to process: prostate massage, gorgeous, naked woman riding my cock, her ass in front of my face, getting herself off on the same vibrator that's buried deep within me. I can feel my orgasm building and my breath is coming out in moaning gasps. I feel like I'm going to fucking explode.

Just then, Bella comes, and it's all over. I grab her hips and pull her down onto my cock as hard as I possibly can. I have no control over what my body is doing—my hands are simply responding from the baser, mammalian part of my brain. I can't form words—I can only utter a series of random consonants.

Bella finishes with a huge shudder, slowly removing the vibrator from me. She turns around and collapses onto me, and we lie there in a heap, panting.

"That…was…amazing," I squeeze out in between breaths. Her only response is a satisfied, "Hmmmm."

I pull the blankets over our bodies and we rest, completely fulfilled and happy in the company we're keeping.

It isn't until we're quietly resting that I realize Bella Shanghai'd my agenda for the afternoon and evening; the porch swing will simply have to wait. I'm certainly not complaining about anything I just experienced—totally worth it.

**~xXx~**

Once we regain consciousness after our sexual adventures, we watch _The Descendants_. Alice told me it was an incredible film, and Bella has been asking to see it. When it's over, I just feel confused.

"I don't get it. Why has George Clooney been nominated for so many Oscar awards?"

"Are you being serious?"

"Of course I am."

"Because he's an incredible actor, he's put his considerable Hollywood chops behind some great projects that might otherwise never seen the light of day, and he's a good guy."

"See? That—right there? No one should ever be nominated for being a good guy. That's not one of the qualifications."

"I just meant that it bolsters his cause, not that it's a direct reason for being nominated. And he's won two Oscars, you know, so it's not like some fluke."

"It's a fluke. He's fine to look at, I guess, but after seeing this movie, I have no idea why it deserved so much hoopla. It's just… meh."

Bella takes a long look at me then furrows her brow while shaking her head.

"Silverfox, are you _jealous_ of George Clooney?"

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?"

"That's a very good question—you have no reason to be jealous. But your body language tells me that you're definitely jealous."

"Hmph. I'm not jealous. He's just not god's answer to women."

"Well, in my book he totally belongs on Team Silverfox. He might be the original Silverfox, in fact."

"You called _me_ Silverfox before you said it about him," I complain.

"You don't know that for sure."

"I don't?"

She smiles at me then leans in to give me a reassuring kiss.

"Oh hush. Clooney is no competition for you. He's just there for the sympathy vote to make sure Team Silverfox wins every time."

"All I know is that there _is_ an i in Team Silverfox, and only one _i_. There's no room for George Clooney to join me," I explain.

"Okay, okay, point taken. Team Silverfox is officially one member strong."

I give her a goofy smirk in reply.

"What?" she asks.

"I _do_ only have one member."

"Oh my god, how old are you? Five?" She rolls her eyes at me.

"Hey, you said it."

"Let's just pretend that I didn't.

I give Bella a quick peck on the cheek and get up to relieve myself. Apparently, Bella has the same thing in mind, because I pass her on my way back to the bed.

"Keep it warm for me."

"Always," I pledge.

Instead of bathroom-related noises, I'm surprised to hear Bella gasp. The gasp is followed by a series of _tsks_ and I quickly get up to investigate what's going on.

I find Bella on her knees on the floor of the bathroom, in front of the toilet.

"What—?"

She looks up at me with unhappiness written all over her face, which leaves me perplexed.

"Well, I can truly say that you've been knocked off your pedestal."

"I don't understand."

"Edward," she says with more than a bit of animosity, "you _peed_ all over the toilet!"

"What?"

"Come here," she grabs my hand and pulls me next to her side, where she proceeds to point out my every errant spray.

Apparently, I peed on the rim. On the tank. On the wall.

"On the_ wall_, Edward? How the hell does someone pee on the wall? If you were three, this might be acceptable. You _are not_ three. It is _not _acceptable."

"Jessica used to yell at me all the time for stuff like this. I thought it was just her."

"Well, I can now say that I have one thing in common with your wife."

The way she says my _wife_ doesn't sit well with me. Jessica isn't my wife anymore; the only person who I want to fill that role, the one who should be my wife, is Bella.

"I don't understand what's so bad about it."

"It's pee. It's messy. It stinks."

"I'm really sorry, I had no idea it was such a terrible thing," I say, a bit sulkily. "My cleaning lady always takes care of it. I never even think about it, to be honest."

"Well, here at my house, I'm the cleaning lady," Bella explains. "It takes time and energy to deep clean the toilet every day. That's time and energy I could spend doing other activities, if you know what I mean."

I raise my eyebrows at her to illustrate that I do know what she means.

"I have these little toilet wipe thingies," she points out. "I'd really appreciate if you'd use them to clean up after yourself."

"You can't get a cleaning lady?"

"Edward Cullen, not everyone can afford a cleaning lady. You need to do your part to keep our mutual living space clean."

I nod sadly; I feel terrible for making such assumptions. Apparently, that softens her up a bit.

"You do always leave the seat cover down for me, though. That's something I truly appreciate," she explains.

I just shrug, upset that I made a mistake.

"Hey, it's not like this is some kind of deal breaker, you know. It's just that if we're going to share living space, we need to recognize that there will be areas of give and take that will have to be negotiated."

I do like the fact that Bella is using words like _shared living space_. It makes me think that she's more amenable to getting married than I previously believed.

"Got the message. I'm very sorry—I truly didn't mean any harm. I'll try very hard not to pee outside of the toilet in the future."

"Thank you," she says, kissing my cheek.

To lighten the mood, I yell out, "Last one to the bed is a rotten egg!"

We both reach the bed at the same moment and dive onto it, giggling.

"Oh my god, Cullen, you _are_ five years old!"

"Wow, that makes you some kind of cradle robber," I deadpan.

She grabs my ass and says, "Yes it does. I'm not ashamed."

We snuggle into one another and recreate our warm bubble from earlier. I'm perfectly content to simply lay here and revel in the warmth and softness of her naked body; my task-focused self has momentarily disappeared. It's a really nice and satisfying change.

Our proximity makes it easier for me to ask my next question, one that I've been curious about almost as long as I've known her.

"Tell me about the first time you had sex. How old were you?"

"You really want to do this? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Since I've been clearly been such a sexual curmudgeon, it will be good to hear someone else's experience. Were you always so open and comfortable with nudity?"

"God, no! My dad was a cop, the chief of police, in fact, as stern and stoic as they come. My mom left us when I was still a toddler, so I grew up the only child, raised by a single father. It was tough, especially when it came to anything that dealt with emotion. He was buttoned up pretty tightly, even more so because of my mom. That took away so much of his self-confidence. We never talked about sex or anything like that. He just told me that I should be a virgin when I got married and that he'd kill any boy who got me pregnant right before he killed me. It didn't take much to get the point."

"So you were a virgin when you married Jake?"

"Did I say that?" she grins.

"Such a naughty girl—I can't believe you disobeyed your police chief father!"

"Jake's dad and my dad were best friends, so we grew up together. We spent so much time at each other's houses that we just kind of drifted into falling in love. It was always so easy with him, because it was based upon our friendship. It wasn't until after I saw him with Vanessa that I realized we were more like friends than lovers. He might have needed me, but I could see he never truly desired me, not in the way he desired Vanessa, that is.

"Anyway, we eventually started fooling around together, doing just about everything besides having sex. I loved to be touched and aroused. I loved making out. I thought that meant I loved Jake, but now I see it only meant I liked sex. I can't believe I never saw that before."

"So, when did you lose your virginity, if you don't mind me asking?"

My emotions are a strange mix of contradictions—wanting to know the answer, yet not really wanting to know. I understand cognitively that it's only natural she's had sex, and lots of it, in her 60 years of life, but that doesn't remove my emotional response to that fact. I feel a burning in the pit of my stomach when I think about someone else touching her beautiful body, or someone else making her orgasm. I want that to be mine alone. It makes me feel slightly angry or cheated that there is a history before me. I know how ridiculous my reaction is, but that doesn't make it any easier for me not to feel that way.

"One night, during our senior year in high school, we got awfully close. We were completely naked together, with Jake sliding along the outside of my lips. In that moment, I wanted him so badly that I nearly did it even though I knew I could get pregnant. Jake's the one who called me on it. He said that if we were this close to having sex, we might as well get married. We were formally engaged the night of senior prom, and that's the night I lost my virginity. We didn't get married right away, because we were still pretty young."

"So how was the experience, though? Your first time?"

"I suppose it was as good as it could be—I was in love with the person I had sex with, we were going to get married, and it all seemed perfectly natural. Painful, god, but natural."

"I always hated that I had to hurt the person I loved in order to have sex with her the first time. With all my knowledge of the human body, that one never made sense to me. How there could be some evolutionary advantage to why sex had to hurt the first time?"

Bella snorts when I make my comment, which confuses me.

"What?" I ask.

She shakes her head at me. "It's just your faith in science, that science can explain everything… it's misplaced. There's so much that is gray in life. That's what art is for. That's what yoga is for."

I shrug. "It's how I was taught to process the world, through science. Everything seems to make sense when you look at it scientifically. Then there's no feelings to hurt or emotions to unleash. It's just pure and simple science."

"Let's agree to disagree here, because I'm on one end of the spectrum and you're on the other. I think we can both admit that we're too old to completely switch sides."

The question that I've been wanting to ask her all night suddenly bursts forth from my mouth. "Bella, has your opinion changed, because of what happened between you and Jake? About marriage?"

"Absolutely. Sometimes, I wonder why people even bother to get married, especially if they're just going to get divorced a year later. It's such a waste of time and money, and it breaks hearts. It's like in _The Descendants_. There are so many people who cheat on their spouses. Sometimes, their spouse finds out; sometimes, they don't. It would have killed my soul if Jake had cheated on me. I'm grateful that he never did—it made the reality so much easier to face. Now that we're all living to be so much older than previous generations, the concept of being tied to one person for such a long time seems unrealistic; look at what happened to Al and Tipper Gore, and they seemed to be a perfect couple. I'm not convinced that humans are designed to be able to stay together that long. Maybe it's better that people have a series of long-term relationships that are unofficial rather than get married for life."

Shit. How can I ever ask Bella to marry me now?

**END NOTE: After all the drama of interviewing for that job I mentioned, I chose to turn the offer down; my life is complicated enough right now, and I didn't need to make it even worse. And yes, I do know how lucky I am to be in a position to be able to turn down a job. Trust. Thank you to everyone who kept me in their thoughts and wished me luck during that process. You guys are just plain awesome.**


	11. Chapter 11

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: I inadvertently lost most of this chapter, so it took me an extra long time to get over that mistake. Well, that and I just spent two weeks in Argentina and Chile. Apologies. **

**My thanks to the lovely Mycrookedsmile for betaing, even in the midst of a mouse-aggedon-caused wiring situation. My cats are on their way to your house as I write this. ;)**

**Things I own: Approximately 1 million pictures of live penguins from Chilean Patagonia. Give or take 999,950 or so. **

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**NOTE: There will be a medical procedure taking place in this chapter that involves needles and sutures. If you're squeamish, you've been warned.**

**CHAPTER 11**

"Silverfox, what is it? Did I say something wrong?"

Bella's alarmed look makes me feel so guilty. The last thing I want her to do is feel badly about not wanting to get married, but I'd be lying if I pretended that it doesn't matter to me. Marriage is the best way I know to show someone that you love them, by creating a true partnership. I believe that's exactly what I have with Bella. I look at it as our chance to get things right this time. I can't imagine anything better than seeking redemption in each other.

I struggle to keep my voice from breaking as I attempt a reply. I'm overwhelmed by a wave of anxiety that washes over me like a tsunami, leaving nothing but scattered damage in its wake.

"No, of course not. I was just a little surprised by your answer. It's fine."

She puts her hand softly on my cheek; her touch is instantly reassuring. "The look on your face tells me that it's not fine, baby. I've disappointed you, haven't I?"

"No, you could never disappoint me."

"But?"

"How do you know there's a but in there?"

"It shows on your face. You couldn't hide it if you tried," she sighs deeply. "Look, if there's one thing I need from you more than anything else, it's your honesty. We can't have the kind of relationship that I think we're both striving for if we can't tell each other everything."

"I'm so new at all of this. My relationship with Jessica isn't something I want to recreate, but it's the only thing I really know. There were a lot of things I had to keep from her during the course of our marriage, simply because she wouldn't keep an open mind about anything. You're the mirror opposite of that, but I'm still uncomfortable sharing my innermost thoughts and feelings with you. Now that I've told you my wildest dream of all—wanting you to be my wife—I feel so naked and raw, and not in a good way."

"Hey, it's not like I'm perfect, either, or that I know exactly what I'm doing. I make mistakes all the time, too, like getting upset about peeing outside of the toilet," she laughs. "I just think it's important for us to be open about both the good and the bad—it's the way to achieve a relationship that will last. I mean, you can't make things better if you don't know there's a problem."

I pause, mulling over her words. I realize that she's right; I need to be completely honest with her, no matter how uncomfortable it feels.

"Okay, then. I'm going to try some of this honesty stuff and see how it goes," I breathe in and out a couple of times before I continue speaking. "I really want to marry you, Bella Swan. It doesn't have to be tomorrow, but one day, I want you to be my wife. You need to understand that this is something that's very important to me. I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours, no questions asked. Forever. Living together will never be enough for me."

"I promise to give you my honesty, too. The very mention of marriage, whenever you say that word, makes my heart stop. It scares me more than anything in the world. I don't know if I could survive another divorce. Losing you would kill me."

"You'll never lose me. Can't you see that you're it for me? Meeting in a Laundromat was no mere coincidence. This was always supposed to happen. I know that you're everything I'll ever want or need. I just _know_ it."

"Are you telling me that you have faith in us, Silverfox? That seems awfully touchy-feely for someone who doesn't even believe in religion," she smiles.

"Faith and religion aren't necessarily the same thing. In fact, I wouldn't even use the word faith. It's something I know down to my bone marrow—we're meant to be together."

"That type of conviction is called faith—look it up in the dictionary. Just so you know, it's also really hot," she says right before she leans in to nibble on my neck, just below my ear.

"Then plan to be sexually aroused for the rest of your life, Bella, because I'm never giving up. I'm all yours, and I want you to officially be all mine. I want to walk next to you, arm-in-arm, and let all the other guys be jealous that they can't have you."

"You're awfully possessive, you know. It's not like I'm planning to go anywhere."

"Am I possessive? I never thought of myself as that type of guy, but then again, I'd never met you before, either. I need more than just your assurances that you'll be here. I need to see my ring on your finger—for me, _that's_ what's really hot. I'm not saying you need to marry me today, but I want you to be prepared for that eventuality. I'm a determined man."

She nods slowly in agreement. "Please just give me some time. I believe I'll get there in the end."

"I can give you time," I assure her. "That's the best of what I can give you."

"No, the best of what you can give me is right in here," she tells me slyly, rubbing her hand against my hardening length.

All I can do is groan. This woman has such tricks up her sleeve and she knows can't say no to her. Unless it comes down to my ring on her finger, of course.

**~xXx~**

Eventually, we make our way over to Bella's house for my Sex-A-Thon grand finale. I've planned a huge surprise for her, asking our kids to come over so that we can all spend time together. All I told her is that I asked my brother and his wife, Carlisle and Esme, to join us for dinner. She's really nervous to meet Carlisle, who's not only my brother but also my best friend, so she's running around tidying up her place to make it acceptable. I keep reassuring her that her home is perfect, that she's perfect, but that does little to slow her down.

Our relationship is new for everyone, but I feel it's important for our families to understand that the concept of Bella and I together is something they'll have to get used to. I'd like to believe that gaining their acceptance is something that will happen easily. I hope it will make her happy to see everyone gathered together. Her family is so important to her and I want her to see that this is what the future holds for us.

I walk into the kitchen and find Bella bent over, emptying her dishwasher. Her ass is at the perfect height for me to cop a feel, but she has no idea that I'm even here. I stand just inches behind her and my brain goes into full-fledged perv mode—naturally, I'm picturing her naked. I've had her every which way over the last few days, but I want her again. This desire to have her—wanting her, _needing_ her—it still feels strange to be able to acknowledge it so openly.

I've always had a strong sexual drive; from the time I lost my virginity, I've loved having sex. Up until I met Bella, I'd never had the opportunity to have as much sex as I genuinely craved. With Jessica, sex was always the big elephant in the middle of the room that we never talked about. In retrospect, we clearly weren't very compatible sexually. I truly did love her, but was disappointed that our sex life wasn't as incredible as I had hoped it would be. She made me feel like I had impossibly high expectations that were ridiculous and unrealistic. It took finding Bella to recognize that with the right partner, my sexual expectations were just fine—I simply needed to find someone who shared the same drive. The difference with her is everything, and it completes my life in a way could never have imagined was attainable. It's just one more way this amazing woman has wrapped herself around my heart.

I reach out my palm and place it gently on her hip, so she knows that I'm here. I don't want to frighten her. She flinches slightly, but turns her head and looks at me over her shoulder with a beautifully wry grin.

"You can't possibly be horny again. You're 65 and we've had constant sex for three days," she laughs.

"Well then, Ms. Swan, you don't know me very well, because I'm always horny again where you're concerned. You have an incredible effect on my libido."

"If you don't get that libido in check soon, Carlisle and Esme will walk in on us naked."

"I think they'd survive."

"Yeah, well I might not. I'm nervous enough as it is—I don't need to compound my anxiety."

"I keep telling you that Carlisle is going to love you and I sense that Esme will adopt you as a friend the moment you meet."

"They both knew Jessica. You can't discount the fact that I'm going to be held up against that example."

I shake my head at her. "They're not like that at all. I promise that they'll judge you solely on your own merits. They're the best kind of people."

Since I don't get to have my wicked way with her in the kitchen just yet, I opt for the next best thing—a quick bear hug followed by a kiss. The kiss ends up a bit more involved that I had intended, and we find ourselves practically dry humping against the sink. The moment I realize that, I pull away from her. We're both panting in front of each other, speechless.

When she recovers her breath, she takes her pointer finger and pokes it repeatedly on my chest. "You, Mister Silverfox, are a bad, bad influence. Your lips aren't to be trusted. In fact, your hands aren't to be trusted. Or your brain. Or that gorgeous body…" she says as she turns me around toward the kitchen door and pushes me through it.

"There. Shoo. Get away from me for at least thirty minutes so I can get this task accomplished. You're far too distracting."

I shrug and grin at her. "Sorry to be so distractingly irresistible."

She gives me a look then points her fingers in a vee between her eyes and mine. "I've got my eye on you," she warns.

With my hands up in the air in surrender, I go in search of my briefcase. It holds some important documents that I'll need later and I want to make sure that everything's in order. As I retrieve what I'm looking for, a secret smile blooms on my face. I can hardly wait until she sees what I have in store for her.

**~xXx~**

It's funny how comfortable I feel in Bella's home—it's so cozy and inviting. The home is supposed to be an extension of one's self, and Bella's is certainly no exception. I don't live here—at least not _yet_—but I do feel like I belong here. While I enjoy my own house, especially when it's graced by Bella's presence, if I had to choose a preference, it would have to be right here by her side.

Knowing how comfortable her house is, it comes as a surprise to me that Bella is fussing over everything being perfect. How can she not know that it's already is perfect?

"It's going to be fine, Bella. Please try to relax," I whisper and give her hand a squeeze of encouragement.

The doorbell rings and Bella's face takes on an instant look of dread. With my hand still holding hers, I place a kiss on her forehead to reassure her. We answer the door together as if it's the most natural thing in the world for us to do—because it is.

Carlisle grabs my hand before I can say anything, while Esme pulls Bella into a full hug. I have to laugh at their enthusiasm, but I'm also grateful for it. I want so badly for everyone to love her just as much as I do.

"Carlisle, Esme, this is my Bella," I announce proudly.

"It's about time I get to meet this mystery woman," Carlisle pretends to grouse as he places a welcoming kiss on her cheek. "My baby brother has been irritatingly short on the details."

One would think that by age 65, the whole _big brother-little brother_ distinction could be put to rest. We're both retired, for crying out loud. He's always loved putting me in my place.

"Carlisle—" I start to warn.

"Bella, all I have to do is take one look at you and I need no further explanation. I can see why my brother has been so preoccupied."

Esme elbows Carlisle in the ribs as a warning. "Bella, don't pay any attention to these two. Once they get going, they're a complete nuisance. Now, I have a bottle of champagne here and I think we should open it and get a glass or two in us before the boys get at it, hmm?"

"Esme, I love you already," Bella beams.

Internally, I beam just as much to know that things have gotten off to such a wonderful start. Bella seems to be instantly at ease around Esme, but then again, that's Esme's M.O.

As the girls make their way to the kitchen, Carlisle whispers in my ear, "How long until the kids arrive?"

I look at my watch. "Another 15 minutes or so. I wanted Bella to feel a bit settled with you two before I spring the whole family on her."

"She's perfect, you know," he says to me matter-of-factly. "Just by seeing the two of you together, it's plainly obvious."

"You have no idea," is all I can say. "I feel like I'm 16 again."

My brother raises an eyebrow at me. "So in other words, you're in the bathroom beating off about 90% of the time?" he grins, reminiscing about my horny adolescent years.

"Fuck you," I glare at him. "Like you never did that yourself. You were always pissed off with me because I beat you to it most of the time."

"Literally," Carlisle laughs at the memory. "All right, point taken. It's really that good though, huh?"

"We spent the last three days in bed."

"What? You're not kidding me, are you?" His face blanches. I smirk, knowing that I just one-upped my big brother. Maybe the whole big brother-little brother competition has some merit after all.

"Nope."

"What is your secret?"

"Bella."

"This is nothing like Jess, is it?"

"I can't even put those two women in the same universe. Completely, utterly, totally, perfectly different."

"Lucky dog. Good for you. I have to admit, though, I'm really surprised to see you with someone else."

"It's not like I went out looking for her. It was just a serendipitous moment."

"Wow, you have changed. Using words like serendipitous makes me wonder if you've gotten in touch with your feminine side."

"Say what you will, brother of mine, but you can't break me. I'm going to refuse to let you get to me on this subject matter."

"I think I need to get some champagne in my hand before you start to crochet a doily for me. Try to hold off on the interpretive dance until the kids arrive or they won't know where their father went."

"Again, not caring what you're saying at all. Three days full of sex will do that to a guy. I know you're just jealous," I reply smugly. He really does look envious, and who can blame him? I'm on fire for Bella and it shows.

We get to the kitchen and manage to get some champagne from our girls. Naturally, Carlisle has to propose a toast, being a strong believer in the importance of time-honored family traditions.

"You're such nerdy guy, brother. While you tease me about interpretive dance, I'm going to razz you for wearing tighty-whities and making toasts."

Esme and Bella look at us with confused faces.

"Brothers," I explain as I laugh it off.

"To Bella Swan, the most amazing teacher I know—the one woman who could get my baby brother to spout out words like 'serendipitous' and also not care about getting in touch with his feminine side."

I give my brother the finger as a salute to his endearing toast. I really need to work on the concept of propriety with him.

Our conversation is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Bella looks at me in complete astonishment.

"Are we expecting someone else?" she asks with a panicked look on her face.

I can't hold back my smile. "There's only one way to find out, baby," I say as I tug her along toward the door. "It's a good surprise, I promise."

"There is no such thing."

As I open the door, we see that her front porch is loaded up with family. Her jaw drops open in astonishment; it takes her a moment to process the scene in front of her. All of our kids—Seth, Leah and Syd, Alice and Jasper, and Emmett and Rose—stand in front of us, along with our seven grandchildren, loaded down with the contents of our dinner for the evening.

"SURPRISE!" the little ones shout out at the top of their lungs, all giddy and goofy, rushing toward us.

Bella's hand is over her heart while a huge grin appears on her face. Looking at me, she confirms, "Okay, some surprises can be good."

"Told you so," I grin as I yell for Carlisle and Esme to join us.

I reach over some grandchildren to shake Seth's and Leah's hands, thanking them for helping to keep this all a secret, while Leah simultaneously introduces me to her Syd; the introductions are clearly not going to be an orderly affair. As I fight to hear everything over the din, Bella is struggling to do the same as she talks to my Alice and Emmett. It's almost like we're in the middle of a 3D version of Twister, where hands and arms are twisted up into a mess. It's all loud and overwhelming, to be sure, but it's also a beautifully flawed perfection. This is our version of the melting pot and I couldn't be more proud.

After all the introductions have been made, our families mix and mingle together, a tangle of giggling, screeching children running around. As I observe the commotion that's taken over Bella's house, I smile with satisfaction. This happy mess is wonderful and all I could have hoped for.

Most of the women have managed to commandeer the kitchen and our kids are taking care of the meal prep. Carlisle, Emmett, Seth and Jasper are all talking sports. I can tell because Emmett is demonstrating moves on Carlisle who doesn't appear to be an overly thrilled guinea pig. I'd protest on his behalf except for his baby brother comments earlier, so I just look on and grin. Rose and Syd are shepherding kids around better than a pair of border collies.

I remember back to the days when Emmett first introduced us to Rosalie—I wasn't too sure about her because she seemed to be so aloof and high maintenance. Emmett was always such a happy-go-lucky, laid back kid it was hard to imagine how those two could ever get along. It wasn't until her four boys were born that I saw Rose for what she truly is—a devoted, loving, hardass mother with a heart of gold. I found that I had mistaken her reserve and private demeanor for haughtiness. Her family—Emmett and her sons—helped her to relax and bloom into an amazing wife and mother. Looking at her standing next to Syd, they could be sisters. They're both statuesque, beautiful blondes. It makes me smile again to see that Emmett and Leah seem to have the same taste in women. I hope it helps the two of them to bond more easily than she did with me.

"Daddy, you're so different now that you're with Bella. I barely even recognize you," my daughter's voice breaks into my thoughts. "Look at you, smiling over all this messy noise. I can't believe you aren't grumpy or overwhelmed by it all."

Her comments make me feel a bit defensive; I think I'm vastly improved as a result of Bella's influence. "Can't you just be happy for me that I'm so happy? That I've found such a wonderful person to share my life with me?"

"No, you misunderstand me. I didn't mean it as a criticism. It's like the better part of you has been allowed to bloom. Yes, I'm happy that you're so happy," she clarifies, squeezing my hand.

Her explanation leaves me feeling completely reassured. "Thank you for that. I'm grateful your acceptance," I lean over to kiss my baby girl on the forehead in thanks.

You always love your children unconditionally even when they try your patience daily, but it's something altogether different to value your adult child for who they are as an individual. The relationship balance shifts when they move away, get married, and have children. Once they're in charge of their own lives, the inherent tension of the parent/child relationship eases. I suspect a lot of parents are reluctant to cede their role as parent, which only serves to keep the relationship unnecessarily complicated. Being able to treat my adult children as just that—adults—has made my life with them infinitely more satisfying.

My Alice has always had such a beautiful, sunny temperament. Her acceptance of Bella and this new iteration of her father fills me with a deep sense of love and gratitude toward her. I'm learning that I really appreciate her as a friend as much as a daughter.

While I continue to chat with Alice, I'm also turned halfway into the kitchen, where there is a flurry of activity of a different sort. The rest of the girls are talking, sipping champagne, engaged in prepping the meal. I turn my gaze to Bella, who is slicing a tomato. Everyone is laughing and clearly having a great time, and it makes me feel completely satisfied. I just watch her, taking in the view of how happy she is to be surrounded by our families.

It only takes a brief second of inattention for the knife to slip. Naturally, Bella reaches out to grab it with her hand.

The scene unfolds in front of me as if it's happening in slow motion. I see the cut before the pain even registers on her face. I instantly know the wound is deep because of the amount of bleeding.

"SHIT!" Her scream scares me back into the moment.

It doesn't take more than a second for me to act; I'm on her as soon as she drops the knife. I grab a towel and apply pressure to her wound.

Leah is at her mother's side a few seconds after me, looking concerned. Her presence makes me feel anxious due to our previous disagreements, but I don't have any time to focus on that right now.

"Alice," I command. "My kit!"

"Where, Dad?"

With a shaking hand, I dig the keys from my pocket and toss them to her. "It's in the trunk."

Alice nods and runs off to find what I need while I tend to Bella.

I have a medical kit with me at all times in the event something like this should happen. Let's just say that I was a very well trained Boy Scout; I'm always prepared. With children like Emmett and Alice, it seems I was always suturing up one or the other. Now that they have children—my grandchildren—I'm even more vigilant.

"Goddammit, I'm so mad at myself. I don't want to go to the ER," she cries.

"Who says you need to go to the ER when this doctor makes house calls?"

"What? You can't possibly take care of this on your own."

"Now you're making me feel all bad," I tease, trying to break the tension. "I was a practicing surgeon for more than thirty years, you know."

She shakes her head, smiling at me. "You're unbelievable."

"You'll get used to it eventually," I grin back.

"Hang on a second. You will numb it up first, right? I'm not a huge fan of pain. Or needles," she shudders.

I kiss the top of her head because it's the only thing I can do to comfort her right now. "Do you really think I'd do anything to cause you pain? Of course I'll use lidocaine, but the needle will be a necessary evil, I'm afraid."

"I had a friend when I was younger whose father was a dentist. He refused to numb their mouths before they got fillings, because it was a 'waste of good money'."

"Emmett and Alice can both testify that I've always used lidocaine. What kind of father wouldn't do that for his kids?"

"A pretty crummy one."

"Agreed," I say, shaking my head.

It's so hard to remain detached when someone I love gets hurt, but I've never been this upset before; I'm completely panicky. Naturally, I only want to show Bella my cool reserve. It always helps the injured party keep their calm, too. Good thing that I can act well, because inside, I'm anything but calm. It feels like an eternity before Alice returns.

As we speak, I'm applying pressure to her wound to keep the bleeding under control. I'm pressing so hard that my hand is starting to shake. I glance over at Leah, who is sitting close to her mother and me. It feels as though the three of us are in a kind of insulated bubble, all alone. Leah has a look of determined concentration on her face but remains silent. It's clear that she was trained to be level headed and responsive in an emergent situation. It's not lost on me that we share this ability and it makes me feel a bit more reassured that one day, we might actually get along with each other.

"Edward, is there anything I can do to help?" Leah's voice chokes as if she could read my thoughts. I realize that getting Leah involved in assisting Bella right now is probably the best way for me to help both women.

"Yes, actually, it would be great if you could take over applying pressure to the wound. I need to clean up my hands and take a closer look at her."

I position Leah's hands where they need to be. She gives me a small, tight smile that to anyone else might look forced, but I recognize it as holding just a hint of fear. I know that Leah Black doesn't give emotion away easily, so I appreciate the fear at face value. In fact, I feel exactly the same way and try to return my own smile in kind.

Finally, Alice returns and she starts to help me to remove everything I need to suture Bella's wound.

Through the years, Alice has always been my unofficial helper—she's well accustomed to these kinds of situations. More than that, she's uncannily good at it. It's almost like she can see exactly what I need before I can even ask her for it. Today, however, I feel like I need to let Leah be the one to assist.

I glance over to Alice. Looking directly into her eyes, I try to make a silent plea about how important this moment is for Leah and me. She nods just enough so I can see that she understands. I know that I owe her both an explanation and my eternal thanks once this business is over.

I take a moment to get my supplies arranged, making sure I have everything I might need.

"Don't worry, baby. I'll take good care of you. We'll get you all sewn up," I soothe, trying to keep Bella calm. I'm saying it as much for my own benefit as hers.

"I just can't believe I was so stupid."

"Hey now, none of that," I chide. "You're a human being. It's in our nature to want to catch something that's been dropped."

I feel the familiar surge of adrenaline that kicks in before I start a procedure rushing through my veins. It's just what I need to get started.

"Leah, I need you to hold her hand stationary for me please."

"Yeah, of course. Just tell me whatever you need me to do."

"You got it."

"Okay, Bella, I'm not going to lie to you—this is going to burn like hell for a bit, but I need you to hold as still as you can," I warn before I begin to inject the lidocaine.

Leah watches very closely—I can feel her eyes on me. I place the needle deep into Bella's gaping wound to block the nerves in her hand, making sure it's perfectly numb before I begin. She winces with each needle stick. It goes against everything in my being to cause her this pain, but I know that it needs to be done; I don't have a choice.

The good news is that the cut isn't deep enough to require a complex repair, but it's still pretty bloody. Leah is diligent about helping keep her mother still for me.

Leah and I say nothing, but we're still clearly working as a team. It isn't until after I've tied off the last suture and we're cleaning up our hands together in the sink that we finally speak.

"I think I owe you an apology, Edward," she says softly.

"I'm sorry?" I'm taken aback by her admission. What would she possibly need to apologize for?

"I was a total ass to you when we first met," she explains. "I was way too hard on you, and I feel really bad for grilling you the way I did. It's just that my mom means everything to me, and I couldn't stand the idea of her getting hurt again."

"I would never intentionally hurt your mother, ever. Please believe that."

"I do," she confirms. "Now, anyway."

"Well, thank you for that."

"I was watching your face and your body language when you reacted to my mom's accident. Everything I saw convinced me that you care for her deeply, and that's the only thing that matters to me. Thank you for taking such good care of her. Thank you for making her so happy. I know that with you, she'll be safe and loved."

"She's my life, Leah. I couldn't live without her."

"I get it. I really do. That's exactly how I feel about Syd."

I place my hand on her upper back in a silent gesture of understanding and give her a knowing smile. It's as if we now understand each other in a way that makes words unnecessary.

I grab an anti-inflammatory to give to Bella to help with her pain and hand her a glass of water.

"This should help ease your pain for tonight," I explain.

"Thank you, Silverfox. You've always been my knight in shining armor but you really went above and beyond the call of duty today."

I lift her chin up to look her in the eye then place a kiss on her lips. "I'll always be here to mend you. I have a vested interest in keeping you in one piece, after all."

Emmett peeks into the kitchen to check on us. "Everything good, Dad?"

I nod. "I think we fixed the leak," I tease.

"Good, 'cause I hate to break up the love fest in here, but the dinner is ready."

I give Bella my elbow and she wraps her good hand around it and we head to the table together until she gently tugs me to a stop. I turn to look at her, confused.

"I think I'll be ready to say yes to you sooner than I thought," she whispers, and my lips return to hers with a passion I didn't know I possessed. The dinner, our families, her accident—it slips away until all that's left is Bella and me and this kiss.

"I knew if I left you alone long enough you'd finally get to your interpretive dance," I hear Carlisle chuckle.

I give him a three-finger salute—my _read between the lines_, PG-rated finger—and continue my kiss, vaguely aware that in the background, our families are clanking spoons on glasses and applauding. I take that as a sign to keep on kissing, which is exactly what I do.

**END NOTE: Much of chapter 12 is already written, and I anticipate we have two chapters remaining plus an epilogue. Hopefully, we can get this story wrapped up relatively soon. Thanks for your continued patience!**


	12. Chapter 12

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: Apparently, this time of year is full of miracles. Yet another chapter to post in one month. And this, despite the fact that both of my computers had hard drive problems and needed to replaced. **

**Things I own: A drawer full of various **_**Twilight**_** merchandise.**

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**Thanks to mycrookedsmile for getting this beta'd over the busy holidays.**

**CHAPTER 12**

Carlisle finds me as I bring my kit back to the car.

"You okay?"

While my brother does razz me every chance he gets, he always looks out for me, too.

I stop what I'm doing for a moment to consider his question before I reply. _Am_ I okay? As a surgeon, I was trained not to get involved in self-reflection following a case. By the time I was a surgical resident, it was expected that I would know how to keep my emotions compartmentalized—I had to wall them off and lock them away in a separate place in my brain. Emotion is an unnecessary companion in the surgical suite. Once a case is complete, you clean up, you talk to the family, you dictate an op note, then it's over and done and on to the next case.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I know I did a clean job. She'll heal beautifully, but it was a lot rougher than I remember it being with my kids."

"Well, from my perspective, you handled it like a complete pro. You always impress me, baby brother."

I'm never prepared for remarks like that from my brother. Carlisle Cullen is the smartest man I know. For him to give me such praise leaves me humbled. All I can do is shake my head in disbelief.

"It's funny—you're the one I always looked up to. You do know that, right? If ever I wanted to emulate someone, it was always you. You were the smartest, nicest, handsomest guy in school. I would have killed to be you. I always felt like I followed in your shadow."

"I felt the same way about you, you know."

"Oh come on, brother. You were perfect. How could you have possibly been envious of me?"

"You were so altruistic. Even as a kid, you had a halo on your head. I couldn't have been a more giving person than you were if I tried."

"What?" I say with astonishment. I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"Look, you were always the kind of guy who gave everything you had to everyone else. When we were little, if I asked you for your last dime, you would have given it to me without asking a single question."

"I knew you'd never ask me unless you needed it."

"You did it for everyone, not just me. You were born with a giving soul, Edward, and I think Bella is your reward for living such an earnest life. It's good to see you reap the rewards of your goodness at last."

I'm surprised that my brother is being so forthcoming today—what's gotten into him? We're in our 60s and he's never said anything like this to me before. I can't imagine what's making him open up like this—he wasn't even this supportive of me while Jessica was ill, or at her funeral. From the time we were little kids, our relationship has always been competitive and based upon humor. Why all these high praises and compliments?

The answer comes to me suddenly; I finally get it.

"You never did like Jessica very much, did you?" I ask, smiling at the memory of his warning to me the day I got engaged.

"She was pretty high maintenance," he starts.

When I hear him use that phrase, my mind goes back to my observation of Rosalie. With that realization, I understand a bit more why Emmett was attracted to Rose—she reminds him of Jessica. He was always the apple of his mother's eye; it's only normal he'd want to find someone similar to Jess.

"Look, Ed, it's not that I didn't like her—I grew to love her as part of our family—I just felt like you should have chosen someone who lifts you up rather than pulls you down."

"I _did_ love her, you know," I explain. "By the time the cancer diagnosis arrived, though, I wasn't sure that I really liked her. God, that sounds awful to say. Without question, I supported and loved her until the very end."

"I know you did. You were a good husband. No one could ever fault you for moving on too soon."

"I'm going to marry Bella, Carlisle."

"Are you serious? So soon after you met?"

"At our age, you don't have the luxury of time. I'm absolutely certain that she's my _one_."

"How soon are we talking about here?"

"As soon as I can convince her. She's a little bit more risk averse than I am."

"How is that even possible? You're a pretty tightly wound guy," he laughs.

"I'm loosening up quite a bit due to Bella's influence, trust me. In terms of getting married, though, she's got colder feet than I do."

"Huh," Carlisle shakes his head slowly, as if he's in disbelief. "Well, be sure to warn me ahead of time. I can't deal with a last minute trip to Vegas."

I give my brother a crusty look and roll my eyes. "Please. Vegas? Do you even know me at all? Now quit your touchie-feelie yapping. I need to go see to my girl."

I slam the trunk shut and head inside with my big brother, pushing each other on the shoulders as if we're a couple of adolescents.

**~xXx~**

I'm sitting at Bella's dining room table, surrounded by a large, buoyant crowd. It's noisy and people are talking over one another. Despite Bella's knife wound incident, all is well within our families. She's preoccupied by the stories our grandchildren are trying to tell her all at the same time. I'm finally able to slip away from the table, unnoticed.

Perfect.

I sneak into Bella's room to find what I'm looking for. I pull it out of my briefcase and look through it once again, just to be sure. Yep, all in order. I sneak back to the kitchen and grab a bottle of champagne, so I have everything that I'm going to need.

I arrive back at the table with a lighter than air mood, handing the bottle of champagne to my startled brother.

"Once I ask Bella," I whisper to him, "I'd like you to open the bottle, okay?"

He looks at me like I've grown an extra head, so I reassure him. "Just trust me, brother. Please."

He nods his head slowly in silent reply, still obviously unsure. I kind of love the fact that I just threw my uber-smart big brother for a loop.

It's time; I gather all the children and grandchildren around us.

"Excuse me, everyone," I state loudly so everyone can hear. "I need your attention, please."

Surprisingly, they all comply, faces awash in curiosity. Grandpa Cullen has never raised his voice, or made an announcement quite like this before.

The look of anticipation on everyone's faces as they surround me makes me so happy, I beam a smile. I'm surprised to be enjoying this moment of suspense and drama, to be honest. When Bella's eyes meet mine, they're open wide, making her appear to be slightly scared. I'm astonished to find her looking at me like that, since she's the bravest and strongest woman I've ever known. Before I start to speak, I walk over to her and kiss her on the forehead.

Now I'm ready to begin my assault.

"We met on a delightfully gray afternoon in a Laundromat, of all places…"

"Edward?" she states simply, confused by my actions.

I lean over and whisper into her ear, "This is another good surprise, I promise. Please go with it?" I ask.

She nods in agreement.

"You helped me figure out my laundry and you made me laugh about sneaky little fu…_foxes_. I never imagined that in you, a stranger in a Laundromat, I'd met the one woman with whom I wanted—"

I pause and nod in Carlisle's direction, giving him his cue. As the champagne cork pops from its nest, I lift Bella's chin with my fingers so I can look her in the eyes. I can see she's almost imperceptibly shaking her head "no." Without pausing, I place the envelope that was previously hidden into her palm.

"Bella Swan, will you please do me the honor of accompanying me to Tahiti?"

Everyone in the room is silent, even the little ones. Bella looks adorably confused. I know she thought I was going to propose, so I wait a moment for her comprehension of my words to sink in.

"What? Tahiti?" she asks, uncertain about what she's heard.

"Yes, Tahiti," I confirm.

"Just Tahiti? Only Tahiti?"

"Do you need more than Tahiti?"

Her face breaks into a bright red blush. "I…oh, I didn't—it's not like that. I just… I mean…"

"Yes?" I say, smiling at her.

She gives me a huff and then breaks into a big smile. "Yes, Edward. Of course. Yes. Thank you!"

The room erupts into noisy cheers while I give my Bella a nice, long kiss.

I whisper into her ear, over the noise of our families, "Thank you for saying yes. For not freaking out."

"For a minute there, I thought you'd misunderstood me earlier," she chides.

"Who, me?" I grin at her. "No, I heard you. I just need you to remember my side of our conversation. Eventually."

Carlisle is busy giving everyone a round of champagne and naturally feels compelled to give a toast. I can't deny him; he's totally in his element when he does crap like this.

"To my baby brother and his Bella—please be sure to make like Gauguin and bring home some exotic pictures," he winks at me. "If you don't remember what his pictures are like, you can Google it." I can only groan in reply as everyone, including Bella, laughs.

"Who's Google?" Alice's son Max asks innocently.

"He's the person who tells you that it's time to leave the table and go play," she laughs.

"Really?"

"Really. Grab your cousins and go run around and make lots of noise, okay?"

With Max's dismissal, the grandchildren scatter, leaving the adults to talk over champagne and coffee.

Bella seems to be content—smiling, quiet—observing this happy mess in our midst. I pull her chair close to mine and whisper into her ear.

"I'm definitely going to go all Gauguin on you, but I promise to keep it all to myself."

"Damn straight you are," she says, nudging me in the ribs with her elbow.

I stand up and ask the guys to help me clear the dishes so the women can relax for once. When I reach the kitchen, I find myself in front of the dishwasher. The memory Bella's gorgeous ass bent over the machine floods back into my brain, as if she's right in front of me once again. I shake my head and chuckle to myself as I realize that Bella is slowly but surely and perversely tainting all household appliances and modern conveniences for me: washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, cell phones—nothing is safe. Thank god for that.

The sound of Emmett's voice breaks through my reverie.

"Tahiti, Dad? Really?"

"I'm sorry?" I say, confused by the tone of my son's voice.

"You're taking Bella to Tahiti? You never bothered to take Mom on a trip like that. You've known Bella how long and you're already going to Tahiti?"

I'm stung by the implication of my son's accusation—that I love Bella more than I loved his mother.

"Emmett, where I go on vacation and with whom I travel is strictly by my own choice. You don't have to like all of my choices, but I do ask that you respect them."

"What about respecting our memories of Mom? Are you going to do that? You never took her anywhere like Tahiti, not even close."

"Son, your mother would have had no interest in traveling to Tahiti. I know that better than anyone, because I happened to have tried convincing her several times in the past. Bella is a very different woman than your mother was. I'm in a completely different phase of my life and _I've_ always dreamed of going to Tahiti. I finally have someone in who will willingly, happily accompany me to exotic locations like Tahiti. Your mother has been gone for a long time. I don't owe you any explanation. I had hoped that as an adult with children of your own you'd be more understanding and accepting."

He just shrugs his shoulders at me in response and we remain momentarily at an impasse.

"FROG FACE. Bathroom! Now!" Alice states, poking her older brother in the chest.

"What's your problem, Short Run?" he sulks.

"You," she says while dragging him where she wants him to go. While my daughter may be incredibly petite, she's small but mighty. I have no doubt that she's going to snap Emmett into shape. I glance at the dining room and the look on Bella's face tells me she heard everything.

_Dammit._

There goes my theory about how nice it is to have adult children. Sometimes, we can't help but revert back to our old roles.

I rush to Bella to do some damage control.

"Baby, I'm so sorry—" I start.

Her arms are crossed in front of her body, like she's pulling in on herself.

"Would you have taken her?" she asks quietly. Sadly.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. To me, it does. It's important to your children, so it's important to me, too."

I sigh deeply, regretting having to say this. It's not a nice picture of my dead wife.

"Jessica wasn't much of a traveler, to be honest. She was an incessant complainer no matter where we went. She liked what was familiar, so we spent a lot of vacations at fancy resorts, nearly all of them within the continental United States. All the places you might expect: Palm Springs, Scottsdale, the Florida Keys."

"Are you sure she wouldn't have gone to Tahiti with you? Maybe it's just because you never asked?"

"And risk foreign food, a 24 hour plane ride, having to drink bottled water, and no one who speaks a word of English? Believe me, I asked. And her answer, in a word, was always _no_. Never. "

"I don't want to talk about this now. Let's just get everyone on their way," she says with sadness in her voice.

"Sure. It's going to be all right," I say, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"If you say so."

We stand up together to help everyone pack up. I'm handing Carlisle his jacket when I see Emmett in my peripheral vision with Alice and Rose standing behind him. Carlisle and Esme give Bella a kiss goodbye when I hear Alice's voice interrupt us.

"Daddy, Emmett has something to say to you and Bella," she begins, elbowing her brother.

"Yes, we've decided that since he's acting like his 7 year old son, we had to intervene and threaten him with a timeout if he didn't apologize to you," Rose adds. Emmett looks as ashamed as he did when he was 5 years old and got caught hiding beets in his napkin at dinnertime.

With a deep breath, he begins. "Dad, Bella, I'm sorry I got upset about your trip to Tahiti. I jumped to conclusions and it's none of my business."

I open my mouth to speak, but I'm surprised when Bella beats me to the punch.

"You're right, Emmett—it _is_ none of your business," she starts, shocking us all. "But I'd also like to think that you'd give us your approval to have a relationship that's different from the one your parents shared. I have no desire to take her place in your lives or in your hearts. Jessica was your mother and I know no one will ever fill that role for you again. Make no mistake, though—I love your father. I'd go to hell and back for him. If you don't approve, that's your choice, but he's in my life for as long as he chooses to be here."

Emmett's jaw gapes, but I can see that he feels chastised.

"Hey, Bella, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, honestly. This is all new for me. I overreacted. I'll try not to do that again."

Bella smiles sweetly at Emmett then stands on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. I appreciate and accept your apology."

That's my girl—always doing the unexpected, so wise and compassionate. I should have known she'd also be quick to forgive.

Emmett draws Bella into a big bear hug just to prove he means what he says.

"My brother tends to speak before he thinks, so Rose and I have to keep him in line when he does," Alice apologizes. "He does usually mean well.

"And if he ever does that again, I'll be here to kick his ass," Rose adds.

"That won't be necessary. I'm tougher than I look," Bella explains.

After a round of hugs have been distributed, we watch as our families depart one by one with the grandchildren in tow. It reminds me of _Make Way for Ducklings_, where the ducklings follow their mother single file all the way to the water. Each car goes through the process of fastening our precious cargo safely into each seat, and then they drive off into the distance.

The shock of returning back inside, with its complete silence, is no small thing. The boisterousness of our patchwork family was delightful, but I can't say that I'm sorry to have Bella all to myself again. The best thing about grandchildren is that you get to enjoy them and spoil them, but they go back home with their parents.

I turn Bella in my arms so that I can see her face. Placing my palm on her cheek, I try to see for myself if she's okay. She gives me a small smile, so I know she's getting there. She surprises me by standing on her toes and delivering a warm kiss on my lips.

When she pulls away, I look at her, confused.

"Thank you," she starts to explain. "That was just about the best thing I've ever experienced."

I'm still confused by her words. How was Emmett's problem a good thing?

She pats me on the cheek. "Seeing our families together, being overloaded by grandchild energy—it was all so imperfectly perfect."

Now that I see what she means, I return her smile. "It was pretty nice, wasn't it?"

"You did that for me, all of it. And now I don't need to be scared anymore."

"You were scared?"

"I was so scared of Carlisle and Esme, but you were right. There was no reason to be."

"They're about as tame as they come. I knew you'd like them."

"I was more worried about their liking me. But it was the kids—how did you coordinate all that?"

"A Master never gives away his secrets," I waggle my eyebrows at her.

I wrap my arms around her, just needing to feel her warm body close to mine. When we aren't looking directly at one another, things feel calmer. I try to cradle her wounded hand gently in mine.

"Thank you for fixing me."

"Bella, I'll always fix you. There's no thanks needed. It's my job."

"Leah talked to me."

"Did she?"

"Mmhmm. I think you earned a merit badge today, Silverfox."

"Well, that's good. I'm always prepared, I had hoped that would pay off some day."

"It takes a lot to impress her. She was most definitely impressed."

"Good to know. You could tell she was well trained from her police work. Very level headed."

"She's been like that from the day she was born. So serious. Such a protector. You should have seen her once Seth was born. She was like a mama bear with her cub."

"I can picture it in my head. She hasn't changed much. She's a good caretaker."

"Mmm, she is. Syd has softened her around the edges quite a bit. And having kids, I realize protecting Seth and me was nothing compared to her own children."

I notice that the sun is starting to set outside; I have an action plan that needs to go into action.

I take Bella's good hand in mine and tug her along with me, out the front door.

"Silverfox, what—"

Once I plop myself onto the porch swing, Bella's eyes open wide as she follows suit, her face blooming into a huge smile. Making sure that her injured hand is well out of the way I pull her onto my lap so she's straddling me. As I rub my hands over her backside from her shoulders to her ass, I revel in the feel of her body, so warm and soft, over mine. I'm not sure how long we sit there, rocking, just taking comfort in the physical presence of each other. Time tends to become irrelevant wherever Bella is concerned.

Wanting to feel her skin under my fingertips, I untuck her shirt. Once I make contact, she hums happily.

"No one has ever made me feel more alive than I am when I'm with you. I used to think I was an independent person, but since I met you, all I want is to be next to you. _In_ you," I whisper into her ear and then bite her earlobe. Her gasp makes me grin against her skin.

I start rocking the swing with more energy and my hands find themselves on her beautiful apple-shaped ass. I revel in the sensation of the swing's inertia that forces our bodies together, creating a wonderful friction. We've stopped kissing, stopped moving anything else; we're just swinging and looking intensely into one another's eyes.

"I want you," she says, so softly I could have missed it if I wasn't waiting so intently for her to say it.

"Always," I assure her.

Without another word, I stop the swing and help her to her feet. We're both so eager to undress ourselves, we make the job ten times more difficult than it needs to be.

"Fuck!" I hear her curse.

"What is it?" I whisper.

"I need some lube."

I place my hand on her shoulder, pushing her back far enough that she can see my face. With a huge grin, I pull a small bottle from the pocket of my jeans. Once it's firmly in my grasp, I wiggle it around with my fingers.

Her surprise quickly turns to a mischievous grin.

"You planned this?" she says, slightly shocked.

I drop my face into my hand, pretending I'm supremely disappointed. "You know, my feelings are really hurt right now. You act surprised that I would be prepared to have sex with you. I literally have lube with me every minute of the day, just on the odd chance I'll be able to bang you. It's like you don't even know me at all," I tease her.

I uncap the lube and squirt it onto my fingers. Her jeans are down to her knees, but her panties are still in place. I slip them down to her knees, then run my lubed fingers over her lips, making them nice and slick. I give myself another squirt, then use it to slip my fingers gently inside her. She moans at my touch and it goes straight to my cock. I'm always amazed at her ability to get me going. I'm so hard, I just want to drive right into her. Apparently, Bella is on the same wavelength as I am, because she grabs the lube bottle and uses it to coat my cock. Groaning, I pull her body over mine once again, and she slips herself onto me. Whenever I make that first thrust into Bella, she makes the same sound, the one drives me insane. It's a combination breathy gasp-moan that's so incredibly sexy.

I weave my fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck and pull her fiercely to my mouth. She puts her small hands on either side of my jaw—gingerly using her wounded hand—and pulls me into her with just as much force. It never ceases to amaze me that somehow, in moments like these, she wants me just as badly as I want her, and she's never afraid to show it.

My hands move to her hips, where she's circling slowly around my cock. We're as deep as we can possibly be in each other's bodies, and it's still not deep enough. I can't possibly get as close to her as I want to be. When we're having sex, it makes me frantic, this not being able to ever have enough. I keep pulling her hips, driving her deeper, and she keeps pulling my jaw, our tongues warring within our mouths.

There's a seductive rhythm to our movements, a constant _clunk clunk clunk clunk_ as the swing moves forward and back. It's interesting, because it's perfectly timed to meet our thrusts. Bella breaks the kiss—only slightly—to pant and moan out my name, but our lips never fully separate.

Ed _clunk_ ward _clunk clunk _oh _clunk_ my_ clunk _god _clunk_

I move my finger to her clit and she squeaks out a slight groan. Her face is so focused on the pleasure I'm giving her, eyes closed, mouth wide open.

"Edward, I'm going to… I'm coming. I'm coming!" she warns me, as if I'd ever do anything to keep that from happening.

"Yes, baby, come for me," I encourage.

I feel the sensation of falling, not unlike the drop you get in your stomach from going down in an elevator. I've never experienced another orgasm like it, until it registers that I'm not having an orgasm. The fucking porch swing is falling down, hard.

_CRASH_.

Bella is still panting through her climax when we hit the porch floor, and she can't focus on anything but that until her twitches cease. Apparently, the momentum of the swing hitting the floor was enough to initiate my own climax and I find myself caught up with her at the same time. She rests her forehead on mine until we both calm down and finally catch our breath.

When she opens her eyes, they're wide and surprised.

"Silverfox?" she asks, uncertain what just transpired. When it finally registers in her brain, she starts to giggle uncontrollably, and I start laughing along with her. We're holding each other tightly, I'm still inside her, and we laugh until we can't breathe anymore.

Once we've calmed down, Bella beams a smile at me.

"What?"

"We broke the swing."

"Yes, I noticed that."

"You know what that means."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "I do?"

"One more thing we can cross off the bucket list."

"God, it's so hot when you say stuff like that."

"Know what's even hotter?"

"Nope," I shake my head.

"Going skydiving in your near future."

I feel all the blood drain from my face. "Uh, what?"

She pulls back to see my entire face. "It's on the bucket list, too. I signed up for the tandem jump, so it will be easy-peasy. No worries about not knowing what to do."

I didn't really think Bella had been serious when she mentioned skydiving, so the alarm I feel is very real.

"I don't feel comfortable with you doing that. I never dreamed you were serious."

"Well, you'd better get comfortable, because you'll be joining me," she grins.

**END NOTE: Just a small Christmas gift from me to you. Two chapters in one month. That has to be some kind of record for me. Sadly. Everyone have a wonderful holiday season, and thanks for spending this last year with me on this story. Just a few more to go, and our ride will be over.**


	13. Chapter 13

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: No, I haven't died. There have been rumors, but they're false. I've been working two jobs and haven't had a weekend free in months, hence I've chosen sleep over writing. I have not, nor will not, abandon this story. There is one chapter and an epilogue remaining. We're almost there! Thank you so much for sticking with me all this time.**

**Things I own: A healthy case of guilt over the amount of time it's taken me to tell this story.**

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 13**

I've been obsessed about the skydiving ever since Bella brought it up, and not in a good way.

The night she informed me about our lunatic venture, I had trouble falling asleep, even though her beautiful body was curved into mine.

I keep having nightmares about jumping out of the plane alone, with no parachute. The dream panic is very real and absolutely terrifying. I have no doubt this will be exactly how I feel in reality.

I can't possibly do this. It's insane. I'm old, I'm anxious and I'm petrified. Bella is going to see me pee in my pants and she'll give up on me. I might even vomit or lose control of my bowels. These aren't reactions that I really want her to witness.

The very worst aspect of this whole affair is that Bella has been practically glowing she's so excited about the skydive. She's been x-ing the days off the calendar like a kid waiting for Christmas to arrive. Every time I see her place an x over the day, I shudder.

What the hell am I going to do? How can I ever explain to her that there are some things you simply can't undertake at my age? No matter what I say, she refuses to believe that I can't do this. She seems to have this notion that I can do anything I put my mind to, but she's going to learn that I can't. What happens then?

When we're one x away from D-Day, I simply have to speak up. I can't let this go without a fight. There's absolutely no way I'm ever going to be able to go through with this. Even worse, I'm torn over going as Bella's chaperone, because it would probably make me just as crazy to see her skydiving than it would to participate alongside her.

I decide to discuss it over breakfast. Somehow, I feel stronger and more capable with a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats in front of me. Since I'm nervous, I decide to stick to regular flavor. Cinnamon is just too spicy for what I have to say. I'm not a crazy man, after all; I don't need to jazz my stomach up any more than it already is.

"So, Bella—" I begin.

I look up from my bowl to see she happens to be eating a banana. Her lips are resting on the banana's surface, but she hasn't yet taken a bite. Naturally, I imagine that the object in her mouth is really my cock, and I stare at her, having a little sexual fantasy moment.

She takes a bite of the banana, and the fantasy ends. That is, it's over for about half a second until she swallows and I watch her throat moving.

"Silverfox?" she says, confused.

"Hmm?"

"You were going to say something to me?"

I keep staring at her throat then look at the banana again. She has her fist wrapped around it, and wouldn't you know it, I'm back to imagining it's her hand on my cock. What the hell has gotten into me?

"Uhhh…"

I feel her hand on my forehead, and she uses her other hand to lift my chin up so she can look me in the eyes.

"You don't feel like you have a fever, but something is wrong. What is it? Do you feel nauseated?"

The word nausea gets me back on track. Yes, that was it. Sick to my stomach over skydiving. I shake my head to clear the image of Bella and the banana, so I can focus on what I need to say.

"So. Skydiving. Tomorrow."

Her entire face brightens when she hears the word skydiving.

"I know! I can hardly wait. I imagine I won't get any sleep tonight, I'll be so excited."

"Well, that's the thing I need to talk to you about."

"What about it? We've had this decided for weeks now, Silverfox."

"That word 'we'? That's the problem. I never agreed to do this, and I'm also uncomfortable with you doing it."

I can see her entire body language shift from excited to defensive. She even crosses her arms in front of her body. Of course, when she does that, she perfectly frames her tits for me, so I stare at them a beat too long. Without saying a word, she lifts up my chin and with her fingers in a vee, she points from my eyes to hers.

Oh, right. Ogling her tits. What is it that our kids say again? _My bad_. That's it. My bad.

"Sorry," I say, giving her a sheepish grin with my brief apology, and she gives me a smirk.

Trying to keep my statements objective, I decide to use science as the framework for my argument. I talk about the risk, the insurance. The risk. And then the risk.

Bella appears to be holding back a laugh, but I can't imagine what she finds funny about this objective data. She asks me outright: "When was the last time you read about a skydiver dying, Edward?"

"Don't say it like that, you're going to jinx it!"

She snorts. "Okay, Mr. Science. I'll remember that jinxing is part of the scientific method."

"I'm serious. We never said things like _slow_ or _die_ at work because it always jinxes you."

She shakes her head at me. "Honestly, that's just beyond silly. I can't even believe my Silverfox is talking about _jinxes_," she scoffs. "And don't think for a second that you've deterred me from getting my question answered. But that's okay, because I can answer it for you: you can't remember the last time someone died skydiving, because crashes are so rare. So just suck it up and prepare yourself. Everything is going to be just fine."

I pout my lip and grumble, but it doesn't change a damn thing.

"You know if we die, our insurance won't cover it."

"Silverfox, honey, in that case we'll be dead, and it won't matter anymore."

"Jesus, Bella, there you go again! You can't say stuff like that. It makes me so nervous."

"Well, that's actually a good thing, because it means I've made you focus on something else besides being nervous about skydiving," she grins at me.

I scoot my chair away from the table so I can pull her closer to me. I make her set down the banana and pull her into me, holding her as tightly as I can. She makes a little "oomph" noise when I squeeze her, so I try to back off just a bit. I want to hold her like this forever, to keep her safe and by my side always.

"I love you. You're everything to me. I'm already disappointed that I didn't find you until I was 65. I don't want to waste a second of the time I have with you. To think of something happening to you, it just makes me crazy. Please don't do this. I'm begging you. _Please_."

She pulls away from me, and my arms involuntarily tighten around her for a split second. I feel as though if I let her go, she might never come back. She moves her arms to my chest, pushing lightly for me to release her. I close my eyes and let her go.

I feel Bella's hands on my cheeks and open my eyes in response. She smiles and kisses me on the lips.

"Oh, my beautiful, gentle Silverfox," she coos to me. "Helen Keller once said, _'Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing._' We're meant to live life, not hide away in hopes that nothing bad ever happens. Look at your Jessica—she got cancer, and there was nothing you could have done to stop that from happening or to keep her safe from it. I know that my adventuresome self both intrigues and scares the crap out of you, but that's what life is all about. Hiding away, staying safe, it doesn't guarantee anything. So we need to embrace every single moment we have left together, because we have no control over what's going to happen, when it's going to happen, or how it's going to happen. Does that make sense?"

I'm quiet for a few minutes, just sitting here, thinking about her words, feeling her hands on my cheeks. While I think further, I remove her hands so that I can hold them in mine. Closing my eyes, I move my face close to hers, just rubbing it over her cheeks, her forehead, her chin. Relishing how incredible her skin feels next to mine.

"I love you," I whisper into her ear. "I never want to be without you, so I'll be damned if I let you jump out of a plane without me there with you."

I can feel the energy in her body change, tension turning into relaxation. I can feel her smile on my cheek, I don't even need to see it to know that it's there.

"Thank you so much. I love you and there's no one else I'd rather have by my side, especially when I'm jumping out of a plane."

It isn't until she says the words, "by my side" that I realize I just willingly agreed to go skydiving. I make note that whatever tension Bella felt during our conversation didn't go very far; it just settled into my body instead of hers.

_What have I done_?

**~xXx~**

Before I even open my eyes, I'm aware of Bella's warm, soft body snuggled up into mine. A smile blooms on my face and I pull her closer, kissing the top of her head. I love our lazy mornings and waking up with her in my arms. I was never much of a cuddler before, but Bella has changed just about everything in my life as I once knew it. I lie there, simply enjoying the feel of her, when she starts to kick and wiggle. Surprised, I finally open my eyes to see what's going on, and find her with the biggest smile on her face. That's when I remember.

I agreed to jump out of a plane today.

Shit.

She sees me awake and pushes me onto my back, easily straddling my hips. She bends over to give me a huge kiss. I get distracted for a moment about how incredible it feels to be able to kiss Bella first thing in the morning. Jess would never have allowed morning breath to come into the equation. She also insisted on going to the bathroom, brushing her teeth, putting on deodorant before I could touch her in the morning. It's no wonder that morning sex and I never had a good relationship. All that prep work takes the fun out of it. While I might not embrace spontaneity often, one should be able to have sex when the mood arises. Jess was a morning sex killjoy.

When Bella grinds herself over my morning wood, my lucid thoughts flee my brain and all I can do is focus on how good she feels on my cock. I groan in reply, placing my hands on her hips to help her grind harder. With a smirk, she leans over to her bedside table and grabs the lube. I love watching her do this—her hands on my cock, preparing me. When she touches herself to get lubed up, I have a brain cramp. I'll never be used to watching her do that. Her pussy is so beautiful and she handles herself like the knowing master she is. Again I marvel at just how different she is from any other woman I know. Until her last dying breath, Jessica never uttered a word about masturbation. In fact, I'm convinced she never touched herself at all.

Bella starts to slide herself over my hard cock, never allowing me to enter. I maintain my hold on her hips, moving along with her. When she finally crooks her hips just enough for me to slide inside of her warmth, I groan. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to how incredible it feels to be here like this with her. She works me slowly, taking her time, investigating my body with her fingertips and lips while she rides me. All I can do is watch her move and enjoy her attentions.

While sex used to be fevered and harried when I was younger, it's bloomed into something sweet and drawn out. Neither one of us is in a hurry to climax and the point is moot, because that's not how our bodies work anymore. Remarkably, it's not my orgasm that I'm chasing after anyhow. To have this time to relax and simply enjoy the sensation of my body in hers is nothing short of a gift. When you've been given something so extraordinary, to do anything less than cherish it is inherently wrong.

When Bella gets close, she always shuts her eyes as if to savor the moment, make it more concentrated. This time, she happens to have her hands on my chest and unknowingly starts to pinch my nipples as her orgasm begins. I move to take her hands away because the feeling is so intense, but right as I'm about to do that, she twists them and stops moving. It's that twist along with the surprise that does me in; I gasp aloud.

"Fuck."

Her eyes pop open with my words.

"Oh—are you okay?"

I can't answer her because I'm lost in the sensation that's washing over me. My hands are glued to her hips, pulling her as closely as I can.

Once my spasms are over, she leans forward onto my chest, hooking her arms under my neck so that I'm wrapped in a hug.

"Thank you."

"Oh, Silverfox. No need to thank me. That was very selfishly motivated, I assure you."

"I'm grateful for every second I get to spend inside of you, so yes, I do need to thank you."

"Well, if we keep thanking each other, this could go on all day."

I turn my head to whisper into her ear. "That would be fine by me."

With those words, she sits up, suddenly alert.

"You! You're as bad as the sneaky little fuckers at the Laundromat!"

I grin at her. "Damn, you found me out. That almost worked."

She rolls her eyes and pokes me in the chest with her finger to emphasize each word. "We. Are. Going. Skydiving. Mister."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I mean it. Haul that gorgeous ass out of bed and into your clothes."

I'm resolved to do this with her, but that doesn't mean I'm excited about it. In fact, I feel like Indiana Jones looking into that den of snakes and knowing that he has to get through them if he's going to survive.

"Um, Bella? What does one wear when skydiving?"

"Oh, they give you a jumpsuit. We've gotten that part taken care of. Don't worry."

"Don't worry. Right. As if that's going to ever happen," I smile.

Bella walks over to me and takes my face in her hands. "It's going to be all right. You'll see."

"Yes, it is. Especially after I land on the ground and vow to never skydive again."

She just shakes her head and giggles at me.

**~xXx~**

Skydiving Port Angeles isn't far from Bella's house, so it only takes us all of ten minutes to get there. When we arrive, they make us sit down to review a videotape about the dangers of skydiving and what we can expect. They describe the freefall, which lasts 50-60 seconds, mentioning that we can fall at speeds up to 120 mph. They assure us that it's not like a stomach-churning thrill ride, but more like floating in the water.

I don't buy that for a second.

I have to keep wiping my palms on my jeans and I notice that it feels like I have sawdust in my mouth it's so dry. I look over at Bella, and she looks like she's experiencing the rapture. Her eyes are wide and she's smiling broadly. Fucking hell, I'm such a pussy. I'd be embarrassed if I wasn't so petrified. The last line of the videotape mentions things like "exhilarating" and "peace and tranquility," and I snort. I'm certain there will be nothing peaceful about it for me.

Once we're done with the video, we have to sign our lives away on the liability waiver. I'm grateful to have years of experience requiring the steady hand of a surgeon, because it allows me to sign away my life without betraying my nervousness. I'm really struggling with being so afraid while little Bella is giddy with excitement. While I'm not a proponent of machismo, it's still humbling to know that she's so much braver than I am.

The owner of the shop swaggers over to us, cocky as hell. He's clearly an adrenaline junkie and, for some reason, he has honed in on my Bella.

"You look awfully young to be doing your first dive, miss," he winks at her. "I'm going to need to see some I.D., or get your father's permission at the very least."

Hang on a minute—_her father?_

I can hardly blame him for flirting with her, of course; Bella's excitement and enthusiasm are irresistible. Still, I'm royally perturbed by his attitude. If I weren't so afraid, I'd be in his face about flirting with her.

"Buzz Zydesky, at your service," he says, bowing in front of her.

Buzz? BUZZ? Dear god in heaven, I want to hate this man already.

"I'm Bella, and this is my Edward, not my father," she answers, giggling. He merely gives me a half nod in my direction to indicate he's aware of my presence.

_Asshole_, I think to myself.

"This is really your first jump, Bella?"

She nods. "Yes, and I'm so excited. I've been counting down the days for a few weeks now."

"Well, I'll be sure you have a great ride," he waggles his eyebrows at her, emphasizing the word _ride_.

Oh, come on. Is this guy for real?

"In fact, I'm so determined that you have a great experience, you're going to be tandem with me on this one," he tells her.

By this point I'm so annoyed that I'm trying to think of ways to sabotage the jump before we can get off the ground. I don't really want Bella anywhere near this slimeball.

Buzz starts going through all his credentials, the number of jumps he's done, how awesome he is. As much as I already hate him, I have to admit that Bella will be safe with him as his tandem partner. Well, at least for the jump portion of the experience.

Almost as an afterthought, he looks over at me, then toward the rest of his dive instructors who are sitting around drinking coffee.

"Edwin, you can dive with Roadkill."

"It's _Edward_," I correct him.

"Uh-huh," he says absently, his attention having shifted back to Bella.

Wait a second. _Roadkill_? I'm going to hurl myself out of a plane at 11,000 feet and travel at 120 miles per hour with someone whose name is Roadkill? I honestly didn't think this could get any worse, but apparently I'm in hell, and it can only keep going down from here.

The youngster who appears in front of me is covered in tattoos and has something in his ear lobe that is so big I could drive a truck through it. I'm staring at it, realizing that it looks just like something out of a _National Geographic_ magazine. I can hardly focus on anything else, his ear is so distracting.

Roadkill gives me a half nod—which seems to be the preferred greeting method here—and then pulls his fist back in such a way that I'm sure he's winding up to hit me. I take a step away from him and flinch slightly in response.

"Whoa, dude, slow down!"

"What?"

He grabs my hand and bumps his fist on it. "I was just giving you a bump. Chill, man. It's cool."

Oh, jesus, I'm going to jump out of a plane with someone whose IQ is negligible, possibly even single digits. I glance over at Bella, who is giggling and being charmed by Buzz.

It's now confirmed. I _am_ in hell. I glower at Buzz and ignore Roadkill.

Buzz throws a jumpsuit at me and starts to help Bella get into hers. I walk over to him and simply say, "Allow me."

Bella picks up on my displeasure right away and naturally starts to tease me about it.

"Silverfox, do you even know how the jumpsuit works?"

"Bella, it's a jumpsuit, not a Halloween costume. Step inside and I'll zip it shut for you."

As I help her get her feet into the legs, I glance over at Buzz who is now glaring at me. I just smirk, knowing that at least I'm the one who gets to help her into and out of her clothing. Once I finish zipping it up for her, I give her a big kiss, mainly because I want Buzz to know that I'm the one who goes home with Bella at the end of the day, not him.

She looks at me and shakes her head, mumbling something about _alpha males_ and _peeing to mark their territory_.

Damn straight, Bella Swan. I have no problem at all showing the other males here that you're all mine.

Bella nudges me with her elbow. "Settle down," she chides.

I give her a look then intone quietly, "Maybe you should say that to Buzz."

She crosses her arms in front of her body and gives me a look. I just shrug my shoulders.

Buzz gives Bella and me the lowdown on what we're going to do on the jump, including how we're to be attached to our tandem partner's body. That does little to calm me down—I'm certainly not happy to know that he's going to be all over her. When I learn that Roadkill is the one responsible for packing our chute and getting us geared up, my panic renews in earnest. I'm going to trust that a tattooed man whose name is Roadkill has the mental capacity to handle a process that requires more than two steps?

Bella leans over and whispers in my ear, "Edward, he's going to be fine. He has a vested interest in making sure he did everything properly to make it back to ground safely."

I'm not so sure about that.

On the other hand, I've been so preoccupied trying to keep an eye on Bella and Buzz that I've almost completely forgotten about my fear. That all changes the second we have to step into the plane.

Bella is so excited she practically leaps onboard. I'm just trying to stop shaking long enough to be able to lift my foot into the plane.

Once inside, Roadkill motions to me that I need to come sit in front of him. We're sitting on the floor of the plane; the only seat inside is the one for the pilot. Once I sit down, Roadkill scoots me close to him and starts to hook us together. He hands me the end of a belt and instructs me to clamp it, but my hands are shaking so badly I can't get it together. Everything about this moment has me terrified and concerned.

My fear is momentarily forgotten once I focus my attention on Bella. I've never seen her look more buoyant or happy. She has a grin plastered on her face and it makes me wonder what she looked like as a child. I can imagine how adorable she must have been. Usually, her joy is infectious, but today, it can't wipe out my concern for her. Or myself.

Seeing that I undoubtedly look like I'm going to be sick, she reaches over and touches my cheek to reassure me.

"It's going to be fun, Silverfox. You'll see."

I wish I could share her blind faith. After all, I'm about to jump out of an airplane and plummet to earth strapped together with a young man whose name is Roadkill.

Buzz decided that he and Bella will jump first. The airplane has a plexiglass door that opens like a garage door to make it easier to exit from the plane. When we get up to 11,000 feet, he allows Bella to open the door by herself. She squeals and claps her hand in excitement. It's beyond charming, but I'm also about to wet myself I'm so nervous.

Before I even have time to think, Bella and Buzz lean out the hole and they're gone. The roar of the air moving past the plane is deafening. Rather than shout out commands, Roadkill taps me on the shoulder and points toward the door.

Oh, hell no. He thinks that I'm going to be the one to jump? Is he fucking nuts? Wait a minute, I don't really want to know that answer just yet. I'm sitting on the floor, shaking my head in refusal when Roadkill gives me the thumbs up and starts to lean out the plane.

Sweet jesus, Roadkill _is_ fucking crazy.

I squeeze my eyes shut and scream as high as a 3 year-old girl. I'm ready to feel my stomach drop, to be dizzy, to feel completely out of control. Roadkill taps my shoulder and I open my eyes in response. He's trying to motion for me to position myself properly, arms spread out and my legs between his. Once I'm able to do that, I take a moment to feel the G-force. My face is wrinkled into a perma-smile. My mouth, already dry from my nervousness, feels like it's made of cotton. My eyes are watering even though I have on protective goggles. I thought I'd feel the same kind of vertigo that you get when you look over a cliff, but there's actually none of that. What I feel is exhilarated. It's an incredible feeling to be weightless. I'm completely surprised that I don't feel even remotely out of control.

Before I know it, Roadkill pulls the chute release and we're yanked back up into the sky. The change of transitioning from freefall to floating is intense, but amazing. We float slowly over the Olympic peninsula, taking in the sights. It's magnificent. I can't wipe the smile off of my face. I hate to admit this to myself, but I'm actually having a blast.

Before I know it, Roadkill is instructing me to lift my feet up into a sitting position so he can handle our landing. It's such a smooth process that he lands and takes a few running steps as we slow and then roll. I look back up at the sky, marveling that I just fell to earth. I fucking did it. Before Roadkill can get me unhooked, Bella leaps onto us, giggling and squealing.

"Oh my god, Silverfox, we did it! We did it!" she keeps chanting over and over, in between fits of giggles.

All I can do is beam a smile at her. God, she's an amazing woman.

"Um, dudes? Could you like, just not do that for a sec?" Roadkills breaks us apart.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry," Bella apologizes as Roadkill gets us unfastened from each other.

Once I'm finally free, Bella straddles me, giving me a deep kiss. My hands find themselves on her hips, and it reminds me of where we were just this morning. Not wanting to give Buzz and Roadkill the sight of their lives, I pull back from the kiss. Bella looks at me, confused, and I gently motion toward our company and she just grins and shrugs her shoulders. I get to my feet and hold out my hand to help her up. Hand in hand, we stroll back to the bunker, too keyed up and happy to actually form words or sentences.

Back at the bunker, we both order copies of the pictures they took of us in freefall. I'm grateful that Roadkill waited to take a picture so that my eyes were open and I didn't look petrified. As for Bella, her smile is one of the best sights I've ever seen. She is the very picture of contentment.

We ask Buzz to take a picture of us standing on the ground in our jumpsuits, and I lean in to kiss Bella as he clicks the camera. Okay, so that might have been my way of reinforcing to him that Bella is my girl, but I'm certainly not going to apologize for that.

Arm in arm, we make our way back to the car happy and completely satisfied. Another item off of our bucket list. Feels so damn good.

"Now we need to look forward to crossing Tahiti off of the list, too," I remind her.

"I know. Edward, I'm very proud of what you accomplished today."

"I'm proud of myself, too. I honestly didn't think I could do it, and I certainly didn't expect to enjoy myself. You keep proving me wrong about nearly everything."

"Oooh, a man who admits he's wrong? Music to my ears. Say it again, Silverfox," she nudges.

I poke her back as she gets into my car. "Let's get home. I have a bunch of adrenaline I need to burn off."

"Don't have to ask me twice," she says, hopping into the car as quickly as she can.

"That's my girl," I smile and lean over to kiss her.

**~xXx~**

I've never been the kind of person who waits until the last minute to pack for a vacation, but this time, I feel like I'm rummaging around my bedroom like a madman to finish packing for Tahiti. For most of our stay, we'll be on a cruise ship around all the islands, so there isn't much we'll need, but I'm concerned that I might forget something important. Most of our luggage is ready to go, so I move my suitcase off of the bed. That's when the smell hits me.

I breathe in deeply. _Cookies._ I make a beeline for the kitchen.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Hmm? Oh, baking cookies."

"Oh god, I haven't had homemade cookies in years. I might have to sample the dough to make sure you've done it right. You look a little bit shifty. Can you be trusted?" I grin. I have no doubt that her cookies are going to be phenomenal.

Bella puts her hands on her hips and attempts to look stern, but it just doesn't work. I know she's far too charitable of a soul to ever look malevolent. She can't pull it off, not even close.

"It just so happens that I'm making cookies for the yoga girls, and most definitely not for you after that crack," she explains, swatting my hands away. "I found some yoga-shaped cookie cutters and couldn't resist trying them out."

"Why would the yoga girls get cookies and not me?" I pout. "They're the ones who tried to steal me away from you, after all. If anyone deserves cookies, therefore, it must be me."

I reach down to scoop up a baked cookie when I notice the positions of the yoga-cookie-people. While they're supposedly doing yoga, but to the untrained eye (like mine), it looks like an erotic orgy is occurring on the cooling rack.

"Um, Bella, the cookies? They're doing all kinds of kinky things over here."

She rolls her eyes at me. "No, Silverfox, they're doing yoga, not having sex."

"I don't know; it looks awfully suspicious to me."

"That's just because you're a horny bastard."

"Says the woman who entices me daily with her pink box of magic toys."

"Nevertheless, the cookies are not for you."

I take one of the cookies that's doing a Downward Dog pose and put a Warrior pose underneath it. I don't care what Bella says—you know that the creators of these cookie cutters had an ulterior motive. They're trying to pass off erotic cookie cutters as yoga. I'm totally on to their subversive tricks.

I press myself against her back and lean in close to whisper into her ear. She shivers in response to my breath against her skin; I love I can do that to her so easily, every time. In fact, I might even do it on purpose, just to get that response.

I drag my finger down her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in my wake. "Okay then, how about I Downward Dog your Warrior Pose? Like the next time we're naked? In fact, we could even engage in some naked yoga together, right now. Hmm?"

I can tell she's caught off guard by the sudden shift in mood, because the only thing she says is a breathy, "Oh."

Oh, yes. I shake my fist in the air, victorious.

"Go grab your yoga mat, hussy," I swat at her ass. "I have some poses I'd like to show you."

**END NOTE: Bella's yoga cookie cutters are, in fact, real. You can find them at acacialifestyle dot com. **


	14. Chapter 14

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: The outpouring of affection for my little story has been overwhelming, in the best of ways. No one was supposed to like this story—it's about old people having sex. It was intended to challenge my story telling skills: to write about an unpopular topic but make it palatable. Thank you so much for embracing my Silverfox and his Bella. **

**Things I own: A used admission ticket (mine) from the David Bowie exhibition in London (priceless).**

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 14**

For the length of time it takes to fly to Tahiti from Seattle, Washington—which is not insignificant—the one thing that stands out in my mind is just how easy it is to travel with Bella. Even after nearly 24 hours on the go, when I look over at my beautiful girl, she gives me a tired but very happy smile. Incredible.

All my previous travel experiences can be summed up into one big conglomerate of fighting, frowns and stress. Jessica turned everything related to travel into such a challenge. I assumed that's how these things worked—irritated bickering that would last until well after we'd arrived at our destination. With Bella, I feel completely insulated by the bubble full of calm she carries with her; I'm positively thrilled to be included in that same bubble. While our trip may have started on a bad note because of Emmett's misguided grumbling, it seems as though the minute that dust settled, everything has just been easy.

Bella has never flown to a foreign country before, and she's certainly never been on such a long flight. My plan is to stay overnight on the island of Tahiti then we'll take a cruise around the island chain. The grand finale will be four nights in Bora Bora, where we'll stay in an over-the-water, open-air hut. This is all meant to be a surprise for Bella—the only thing I told her ahead of time was how long our vacation would be. More than anything, I want to experience the look on her face as she discovers each new element that arises.

Since Tahiti time is so different from Seattle, our circadian rhythms are completely off upon our arrival. We're so tired we feel a bit drunk. The Air France flight was comfortable and very pleasant, but nothing can possibly override the fatigue of jetlag in an older person. It's been years since I've been overseas and I'm honestly a bit surprised over how strongly I'm affected this time.

Our first hotel in Tahiti is simple and comfortable—it's nothing more than a stopping point to allow ourselves a place to conk out before we start our island chain cruise. Having behaved like a gentleman during our entire flight, I'm more than a little anxious to have Bella all to myself again. As much as I would have loved to add the Mile High Club to my bucket list, the idea of having sex with Bella in a disgustingly filthy, tiny bathroom had zero appeal to me. I'm sure Bella must have felt the same way, even though she teased me during most of the flight. The best we could manage was a challenging snuggle across the plane seats that were clearly not designed with anything more than travel comfort for one passenger in mind.

As we ride in our taxi from the airport, Bella cuddles into me the way I love the most: her head tucked into the space between my shoulder and my neck, so her breath hits me right below the ear. I never imagined that breathing could be so damn sexy until I had Bella tucked into that space. Now I'll take any excuse to get her to curl up into me like that. It also makes it incredibly convenient for me to deliver kisses to the top of her head. She sighs happily against me, and that sound alone makes me want to give everyone I see a huge high five. This woman's ability to make me giddily happy is unbelievable. I never even knew I could be giddily happy. Bella has changed my perspective on just about everything.

At the hotel, I paw at her as soon as the bellhop starts to push our luggage toward our room. As my hand skims over her ass, it stops cold. I realize that her ass feels startlingly bare. As in she's either going commando or wearing a thong.

Sweet jesus in heaven, thank you.

I give her ass a little swat so she knows that I'm aware of her complete lack of panties and she winks at me.

Winks.

At me.

I practically flatten the bellhop in my rush to get to our room. The things this woman does to get me revved up—it's like she has no idea that going commando will make me insane with wanting her, except that her little wink assures me that she knows exactly what she's doing.

Any thoughts of fatigue have just been soundly defeated in my brain. Hormones seem to always take precedent over just about anything else.

I get rid of our bellhop with a terse, "Merci beaucoup" and a generous tip then slam the door behind him. Unable to wait another millisecond until I get my hands on her skin, I push Bella into the wall and find her lips out of sheer muscle memory. She makes a small _oomph_ noise in reply and quickly drops her bag onto the floor. At least I think that's what happens—I'm not really paying attention to anything else in my attempt to get as physically close to her as I can. This isn't really even about sex for me anymore, although I certainly appreciate that aspect of our relationship. It's like I can't think straight until my skin is touching hers, almost like we have a sort of symbiotic relationship. Without her bare skin's presence upon mine, I can't breathe right.

It gives me so much comfort and satisfaction that she seems to need this just as acutely as I do. I can tell, because her fingers are tugging at my hair with the same level of urgency that mine have been pawing at her ass. God, I love her. I say this to myself every few minutes, but that doesn't make it any less true. I love her with such a depth and intensity that scares me sometimes.

Unable to wait a moment longer, I wrap my arms around her waist and walk backwards toward where I remember the bed being upon my first cursory glance around the room. As much as I would love to be able to take Bella right against the wall, I recognize that my 65 year-old body has its limits, and wall sex just isn't a viable option for me right now.

When I feel the bed hit my knees, I quickly reach behind me to pat around, making sure that I'm not going to plop onto the ground as I attempt to get us both horizontal. Before I can do that, however, Bella gives me a good shove, so I suddenly find myself spread-eagled on the bed. Looking into her face with what must be surprise, I notice her sly grin. Just when I think I'm running this show, she reminds me that ultimately she's the one in control.

Bella makes quick work of removing my clothes as I try to do the same for her, except that she's got this wrapped dress thingie on that I cannot possibly navigate. She starts to giggle at my attempts to get her undressed and subsequent frustrated growls, then takes my hand and places it on the tie. Our hands laced together, she shows me how to untie the mysterious dress, and all is revealed. She just opened Pandora's box by letting me know how easy this dress is to remove, because now? I can't imagine it will ever stay on her body longer than a minute or two.

Once naked, Bella looks around the room for something, eyes squinted. We didn't even take the time to turn on lights or open the windows, so it's not easy to find anything. She gets up, fumbles around, and comes back with her purse. It's not until she pulls out a mini bottle of Astroglide that I understand what she was up to. She wastes no time in working her lube-slicked hands over my cock. All I can do is groan happily.

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind—the 1% that isn't actively engaged in what Bella is presently doing—it occurs to me that she had a bottle of lube in her purse. Did she…? Was she going to… did she plan to need this when we were on the plane? Was she actually expecting to join the mile high club?

My musings come to an abrupt stop as she lowers herself onto my erection and proceeds to ride me, hard. In case it's even a question in anyone's mind, let me assure you that I fucking love Isabella Swan to distraction.

The nice thing about sex is that it helps us not only relieve our tension, but also puts us promptly to sleep. We curl up under the covers and drift away in bliss.

**~xXx~**

When I awake the next morning, half the day has already slipped by. Normally, I'd be disappointed in myself for wasting so much time. For one of the first times in my life, however, I honestly don't care. I have no agenda at all, other than to be a complete hedonist and to enjoy my Bella. When I reach over to her, wanting to draw her body close into mine, I find the bed alarmingly empty. Bella never leaves the bed without some cuddle time. I sit up, instantly alert. When I hear the water running in the bathroom, relief washes over me. Grabbing a towel, I walk to the bathroom and slip into the shower with Bella. She flinches when I pull her body into mine, but it doesn't take more than a split second for her to recognize that it's only me.

"You weren't there," I pout into her ear.

"You were sleeping so soundly, baby. I didn't want to wake you up," she explains.

"Do you really think I wanted to miss an opportunity to molest you in the shower?" I give her earlobe a small nip. "I can sleep when I'm dead."

"Don't say stuff like that," she admonishes. "I can't even go there."

"Fair enough. Let's get back to the part where I molest you, then."

"Now that's somewhere I can go," she smiles, grabbing my hands and placing them on her breasts. As if I need any encouragement.

I cup her breasts gently, rolling my fingers around her nipples while I nuzzle my nose into the crook of her neck.

"My favorite pair of breasts in the world," I sigh happily into her ear.

"You're so good to me, Silverfox, but we both know they're just saggy old 'I-breastfed-two-children' boobs."

I shake my head against her skin. "How can you even say that?" I ask, aghast. Surely she can't mean that.

Once again, she slips her hands over mine to join them on her breasts. Linking her fingers in mine, she pulls them away from her body. Nudging her shoulder, I turn her body around to face mine.

"As a medical professional, I feel uniquely qualified to assess the quality of this pair of breasts," I announce as I put my hands back where they belong. "Look how perfectly they fit in my hands," I explain.

"Your nipples, they're lined up so evenly, front and center," I give them a quick pinch to add emphasis to my comments.

She just shakes her head at me, looking away. It's so unlike her, to be this critical of her body.

"And best of all," I state before taking one of her nipples into my mouth, "they taste absolutely fabulous."

"Hmmmuh," she mumbles, making a very contented sound.

"After a very thorough assessment, I come to only one conclusion: these are my favorite breasts in the world. Now all they need is to be recognized by their owner as such."

Bella pulls my lips to hers, telling me in actions what she can't say in words. Fortunately, I speak lip service as well as English, so her message reaches its target destination.

"As much as I'd love to spend the next few hours inside of you," I explain, "we need to make our way to the ship."

"Ship?"

"Yes. We're going on a cruise around the islands of Tahiti."

"Really?" she squeaks out, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Really," I give her ass a small swat to emphasize my words. "There's plenty of time for me to molest you once we're on board."

I receive another kiss before we finish up our shower. I shake my head to myself over what a lucky bastard I am.

**~xXx~**

When we're finally clothed once again, we make our way to that marina in Papeete to find our small cruise ship, the m/s Paul Gauguin.

Bella gasps out loud as she sees the ship. "The Paul Gauguin?"

I grin at her, knowing she'd be thrilled with the association of one of her favorite artists. She's so easy to please, which makes it even more fun to spoil her.

"Oui, Madame," I answer. Her face freezes when I reply.

"Silverfox?"

Concerned, I grab her hand for reassurance. I always feel better if she's touching me.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to warn you now, so that you can't be angry with me later," she begins.

"What?" I have no idea what she's talking about.

"If you speak French in front of me again, you must be prepared to be mounted that very second."

I snort out some laughter, greatly relieved. "Oh, I think I can handle that," I grin.

She waggles her eyebrows at me in response. "Oh, really? I'm going to have to test that theory out. Soon."

As we board the ship, we're welcomed by an older gentleman with a strong French accent.

"Bonjour, Monsieur et Madame Cullen," he smiles at us. "Bienvenue chez le Paul Gauguin.

My stomach may have just flip-flopped when I hear him refer to Bella and I as a married couple.

"I am Temana, but zhey call me jus Mana. Eet meanz powair en Tahitien." Mana flexes his bicep, pointing at it with a big smile.

Bella's mouth opens then closes. "Oh. Uhm, we're not… that is, I'm—er," I bite my lip in an attempt not to laugh at Bella's being flustered. "Well, um, thank you!"

"I weel take Meester et Meesez to zhe rhoom?"

I nod at the gentleman. "Je vous en pries." _I beg of you._

Bella gives me her _cease and desist_ eyes and I merely grin smugly at her. As if I'm not going to try to use French whenever I can on this trip.

We follow Mana to our quarters on the upper deck. When he opens the door, Bella lets out a surprised "Oh!"

Mana grins at her exclamation. "You like, Madame?"

"Yes. I mean oui."

"Bien. Zhis ees perfeckt. I go now to get zhe suitcasez."

"Edward!" Bella whacks me on the chest with the back of her hand. "This must have cost you a fortune! I can't possibly allow you to pay for all of this!"

I roll my eyes at her. "Baby, if you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly strapped for cash," I explain, taking her chin in my hand so I can look her straight in the eyes. "I've always wanted this vacation. Now that I have the chance to actually have this experience with the ideal partner at my side, I decided to do it exactly the way I've always wanted to. End of story."

Mana returns with a silver tray balanced on his palm, containing two beverages. He hands one to Bella first, encouraging her to taste it before giving one to me.

"Oooh, this is amazing!"

"Eet ees fruit of mango et pineapplez."

"This is so good I think I'd like to swim in it!"

Mana laughs heartily, amused by Bella's reaction. "Zees I can do for you, Madame. I do for you whatevair you need. Right now, I show you zee rhoom, zhen I poot away your zhings."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Mana," Bella explains. "We're perfectly capable of putting our clothing away."

"But madame, zhees ees my job."

"Your job is to put away my clothing?"

In my attempt to surprise Bella on this trip, I may have accidentally/on purpose forgotten to mention to her that one of the perks of the cabin type I chose is that we get our own butler. I sensed that she might be resistant to such a thing.

"Oui, Madame. I am your butlair."

Bella's eyes dart over to mine as she raises one eyebrow at me. I shrug my shoulders and give her a sly grin, mouthing the word _What?_ to her.

"I understand, Mana. Please, I'd hate to keep you from doing your job."

"Merci, Madame Cullen."

I look down at my glass, only to find it empty. It's one of _those_ kind of drinks—a delicious sort of rum concoction that tastes like tropical juices and nothing else; it's easy to drink far too quickly. During the time I've known Bella, I drink more often than I used to, but this hit me faster than I expected.

"You look very relaxed," Bella purrs into my ear. "You have a quite a goofy grin on your face."

"The grin has nothing to do with being relaxed. In fact, I'm anything but relaxed," I reply as I start groping at her, oblivious that someone else is in the room with us.

She giggles at my drunken gropes, whispering in my ear. "Are you sure you're not seventeen, baby? It seems like you have a one-track mind."

"Yes, I do have a one-track mind, but it's your fault. Well, it's your body's fault. You can't possibly expect me not to be all over you when you have a body that's such a tease," I whisper back to her.

"I'm not going to apologize for that at all," she grins, patting my cheek.

"How about we find somewhere else I can molest you?"

"You're such a horny bastard."

I run my fingers up and down her back, causing her to shudder.

"Mmmhmm."

"Must. Find. Place," she's muttering in spurts when her eyes go wide and she gasps. She's looking at something directly behind me. Her finger darts by my head, where she places it on the wall. "Silverfox!"

I turn to look at her finger, confused about what she's looking at, but say nothing.

"They have a Laundromat on board," she says with a lusty rasp in her voice.

My jaw drops in reply. When I recover enough to be able to utter a word or two, I give her a sideways grin. "Hmm. I have some dirty laundry that really needs to be _done_," I say with emphasis.

"Mana," I turn to him. "We're going to explore the ship. We'll be back later."

"Très bien, Monsieur Cullen," he nods.

I take her hand in mine and nudge her to lead the way. We giggle like a pair of naughty teenagers, running down the hallway toward the stairs. When we're in the stairwell, I back her into the wall because I can't wait another second to have my lips on hers. I tug on her braid, trying to do anything that will get her closer to me. When she moans, I nearly fall apart. The chance of getting caught is very real and only serves to rachet up my horniness.

"Bella," I say with as much control as I can muster, "I need you to get us to the Laundromat, or there's a very real possibility I'll fuck you in the stairwell. Right here, right now," I warn.

"Okay."

"Okay?" I groan out. "Okay, yes, fuck me here? Or okay, I'll get you to the Laundromat?"

"Fuck the Laundromat. Wait, I mean fuck me," she pants while fumbling for something in her purse. "Yes!" she grins, holding up a travel-sized bottle of Astroglide. I'm beginning to wonder if that isn't some sort of magical bag, the way she always seems to have exactly what we need within it.

With shaky hands, she unzips my pants and instantly palms my hard cock while I'm reaching up her skirt. For the billionth time, I'm thankful for Bella's tendency to wear thongs. It makes things like fucking in a stairwell so much easier.

Bella is yanking my cock toward her, murmuring things like "hurry," "need you," and "now." I'm not going to argue with her.

With the urgency that comes with having sex in a public place, I push myself into her, all business. Bella does her part by whispering wicked dirty things in my ear.

_Your cock feels so good in me._

_Fuck me hard. I want to dent the walls._

_I hope someone comes in and catches us, then stays to watch._

Jesus, where does she come up with this stuff? And why doesn't she say these things all the time? I smile through my grunts then realize that Bella is touching herself.

Bella. Touching. Her clit.

Fuuuuck.

Does this woman not understand what she does to me? The dirty whispers, the public place, Bella touching herself, it's all too much. I come faster than I have in years, which leaves me kind of amazed. I keep thrusting until my spasms subside, breathing heavily into the crook of her neck. It's then that I realize.

Bella didn't come.

I jerk my head up to look at her. When she sees my alarm her focus shifts instantly.

"What, Silverfox? Are you okay?"

"You didn't come," I say solemnly.

She gives me a soft smile, holding my cheeks in her hands. "There aren't any rules that I'm aware of that say every orgasm needs to be matched with another."

I nudge her, frustrated. "Come on, that makes me into the most selfish ass on the planet. This is about both of us."

She whispers in my ear, "How about we discuss this in a more appropriate venue? Preferably not in a public stairwell with your cock inside of me. Hmm?"

She has a point. I grab a handkerchief while I pull myself out of her then use it to clean her up. Once we're both settled, we look at each other and giggle, realizing what we just did.

"Sex in public," Bella grins at me.

"Sex in public," I reply. I raise my fist in the air triumphantly.

Bella nudges me and starts humming "Another One Bites the Dust" as we return to our cabin.

**~xXx~**

We decide to sit on our private veranda while the ship prepares to leave port. I ask Mana to arrange a private dinner for us in the room. I want to surprise Bella and thought it would be a calm and relaxing way to enjoy the view on our first night.

When dinner arrives, Mana brings the champagne on ice out to the veranda. When he pulls out a machete from under the serving tray, Bella looks like she's going to pass out.

"I open zee champagne zee correct way," he explains.

Using the machete, he cleanly cuts the top of the champagne bottle off. It flies into the air, buoyed by a spray of champagne.

"Zhat, eet ees zhe bon voyage Madame," he smiles broadly at Bella.

"Impressive!" she laughs, applauding Mana's skill.

I lift my glass to Bella's for a toast. "To you, Bella, whose beauty is no match, even for Tahiti."

Smiling, she just shakes her head and clinks my glass. "I think you've already had too much champagne."

Mana sets our dinners in front of us then quickly leaves us alone.

We sit on our private balcony, enjoying our dinner as our ship sails past some of the most incredible landscape I've ever seen. The colors here—the many shades of blue in the ocean, the green islands, the flowers—are intense and impossible to recreate. Pictures don't do them justice. I suddenly understand the meaning of the word paradise because it's right in front of me; this is by far the most beautiful place I've ever been, and to be here with Bella makes it even more special.

The sun is starting to set, turning the scenery into a completely different color scheme. As it dips on the horizon, it's nothing short of breathtaking, an array of yellows that blend into pinks and oranges that seem to melt into the ocean. We're quiet for the moment, just relaxing into the evening and enjoying each other's presence. To be able to share silent companionship with someone is a rare gift.

I'm sipping my champagne and smiling contentedly when out of the corner of my eye, I see Bella crook her head to the side. I shift my gaze to find her looking at me with a grin on her face.

"What?"

She shakes her head, laughing.

I poke at her side to tease her. "Come on now, what is it?"

"I was just thinking about the first time I had you over to my house."

I smile at her, intrigued.

"You told me that if I made you cat food you were certain it would be delicious."

I shrug my shoulders at her. "It's still true. You're an amazing cook."

"I got you drunk, Edward. Was that the first time for you?"

I shake my head at her. "I wasn't drunk. I was just relaxed."

"Mmmhmm. And today, you gulped down that little rum number with no problem, and now I'm getting you drunk on champagne."

"Let's be fair," I warn. "I've been drinking regularly since I've known you, so it's not like I'm a lightweight anymore."

"Okay, okay," she raises her arms up in surrender. "I'm just a bit worried that at the rate you're going, you'll be an alcoholic by the time we return to Papeete."

I look at her, flabbergasted. Then she giggles. I just roll my eyes and shake my head.

Without any warning, Bella stands up and looks at the walls of our veranda. She's got her palms on the surface of the wall, knocking on it. She follows it to the railing that overlooks the sea.

"Bella?" I walk over to her. "Baby? What's going on?"

"Balcony sex."

"Balcony sex?"

"Yes. Public, but no one can really see. They can only hear. Unless, of course, we're near land, then we can give the native Tahitians a live show."

She leans on the railing and I sneak in behind her. "I could always fuck you just like this," I explain as I hump her.

She turns her head sideways, smiling at me. "I've created a monster."

"Yes, you have. You're solely to blame for this. I was a sexless man until I met you."

"I never considered myself to be a harlot, but I guess I am."

"Yes, well you're my harlot, and I don't ever want you to change."

I take Bella by the hand and drag her back to our table, pulling her onto my lap. "I still owe you an orgasm, by the way," I remind her as I nibble on her neck.

"Yes, about that. I very much appreciate the fact that you are so invested in assuring that our orgasm ratio is one to one—it's more than many men would do. But this isn't about keeping score. You got pleasure, I got pleasure. Who cares what the orgasm count is? It doesn't matter."

"I care. It matters to _me_. Sex with you is completely a two-way street. We both give and receive pleasure, orgasms included."

Bella turns in my lap to face me. "Hmm," she muses, quiet for a moment. I'm quiet and attentive, waiting for what she wants to say.

"I think that is more anchored in your experience with Jessica than it is in me. You don't owe me anything. You don't need to prove anything. I get pleasure every time I touch your skin. I get plenty of orgasms. You satisfy me completely and I want that to be enough for you, because it's enough for me."

"But—" I try to explain further, but her finger over my lip silences me.

"No, Silverfox. No. It's enough. You're enough. There's nothing left to discuss."

I sigh heavily with equal amounts of frustration and acceptance. I know there's no changing her mind on this. "Okay. If that's the way you feel, then okay."

She kisses my lips lightly. "Thank you," she whispers over them.

Not ready to leave the sanctuary of our room to explore the ship further tonight, I take her hand in mine and lead her back into the room. I stop in front of the bed and raise my eyebrows at her, tilting my head in a silent gesture that I'd like some cuddle time with her. She grins and nods her head. I unbutton her blouse slowly, pausing to kiss each bit of newly exposed flesh before I move to the next button.

When her shirt is completely unbuttoned, it slips off of her shoulders onto the floor. I kiss each shoulder as I unhook her bra then deliver a kiss to each nipple, honoring every bit of skin that I'm privy to see and touch. I get down on my knees in front of her to remove her skirt, moving my hands from her ankles up her legs until they rest over her round ass. I kiss her belly button while unzipping her skirt, so she's left standing in front of me in her panties. My fingers make light work of those until finally she is completely naked. I cup her ass and deliver a kiss just above her clit then slowly stand up to take a look at this stunning woman.

"So beautiful," I murmur, in awe of her physical perfection. "I want—" my voice cracks and I'm barely able to say what I want to say. "I want you to be mine," I finish with a whisper. "Only mine."

She shakes her head, looking confused. "I _am_ yours."

"There's only one thing I want you to wear in our bed tonight," I say as precisely as I can while reaching into my pocket. "My ring."

I gently slide it onto her left ring finger and kiss it once it's in place. I finally look into her eyes, searching for any sign that she'll say the words that I want most to hear. I see tears forming, but hear nothing except the pounding of my own heartbeat rushing behind my ears.

Listening.

Watching.

Waiting for that answer I need.

I feel a teardrop on my hand and move to cup her cheeks, wiping other tears away with my thumbs. I kiss her forehead and feel her head start to nod, so slowly I think I'm imagining it. Pulling back to look at her face, her nods gets bigger as the tears fall faster.

Unable to help myself, needing the verbal confirmation, my raspy voice croaks out a question for her to answer once again. "Yes?" My eyebrows arch up on their own, hopeful.

She gives me the most beautiful, happy smile I've ever seen and whispers out the one word I need so badly to hear.

"Yes."

**END NOTE: One more chapter and an epilogue. The good news is that most of Chapter 15 and the epilogue have been written. I'm going to do my very best to post those in the next 24h. You've all waited long enough and deserve for this to be completed ASAP. **


	15. Chapter 15

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: Well, I lied. One more chapter after this one. Sorry, but Silverfox and his Bella are getting awfully wordy AND horny. I didn't think you'd want me to make them shut up yet. Or keep their paws to themselves.**

**Things I own: A blue custom-made Star Trek the original series dress that I'm going to wear at Comic Con. Oh yes, folks—geek central, right here. And of course it's blue—science officers for the win.**

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 15**

I wake up with my nose being tickled. I blink my eyes rapidly and realize that the tickle is just Bella's hair. I inhale deeply, unable to get enough of the scent that is uniquely my Bella. I tighten my grip around her body, pressing myself as close as I can get. Smiling, my brain flashes back to last night and I remember.

_Yes_.

Bella said yes.

My smile bursts into the most satisfied grin that's ever sat upon my face. I've never been happier in my life. The woman I was always meant to be with is going to be all mine. I lace my fingers into hers then stop short.

Her ring is gone.

I look at her hand and sure enough, no ring.

I throw back the covers and start searching for the ring. Maybe it just slipped off of her finger. I try to keep my growing panic at bay, but I'm suddenly seized with terror that she might have changed her mind in the last eight hours.

Bella isn't fully awake yet, her hand is feeling around blindly for my face. I turn her body toward mine and lightly tap my hand on her cheek to wake her up.

"Wha?" she looks up at me sleepily.

"Ring, Bella. The ring. Gone," I blurt out, sticking her ringless finger near her face.

She smiles then starts to giggle. The giggle blooms into a full rolling laugh, all while I look at her with genuine pain.

How is this funny?

She reaches across the bed and picks up an item from the nightstand. She kisses it then shows me what it is. Her ring.

"But… it's not on your finger," I say, confused.

"It's too big, Silverfox. It kept slipping off, so I set it aside in order not to lose it."

She does have a point, I guess, and I am reassured, but I still don't like seeing it anywhere except on her finger.

"We'll get it resized. I'm sure Mana can find someone to take care of it for us."

"I'm pretty sure Mana has better things to do with his time than get my ring resized."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that Mana needs to make this priority number one. So there," I grin.

Just then, there's a knock on the door. I slip on my robe and pad over to the door.

"Bonjour Monsieur et Madame," Mana smiles at me. I open the door so he can wheel in the breakfast cart.

"Bonjour, Mana. Comment-allez vous?"

"Très bien, Monsieur Cullen. Et vous?"

I rush over to Bella and grab her hand to show him. He looks at me, uncertain as to why this ring is so important.

"We are engaged," I explain to him.

His eyes open wide. "Mais… you are not already 'usband an' wife?"

"Not yet, but soon," I assure him.

"Félicitations!" he cheers.

Bella blushes, and it's only then that I realize she has the sheets pulled up around her body because I requested that she only wear her ring to bed. Oops.

"Mana? Would you please set up the breakfast on the balcony for us?"

"Bien sûr, Monsieur."

As Mana readies the breakfast table, I discretely hand a robe to Bella. Once she's presentable, I kiss her cheek and apologize.

"Petit déjeuner iz sairved," Mana announces with a slight bow.

"Merci beaucoup," I answer.

He pulls out a chair for Bella and seats her properly. "Café, Madame?"

"Yes. I mean oui," she smiles sweetly then gasps suddenly. "Birds of paradise!"

"Oui, Madame, zee flowairz are juss for you," Mana explains. "Monsieur 'ad me peek zem up."

"Thanks to both of you, then. I love them. Edward brought them for me on our first date."

"Oui, 'ee tells me ziss lass night, Madame."

"So sly, Silverfox," she beams a smile at me. I love making her smile like that.

We dig into our breakfast and talk about what we'd like to do today.

"Well I noticed that they have an introductory scuba class on board, so I think we should do that since it's on your bucket list."

"Speaking of bucket lists, I think we have some more things to cross off of it," I grin, pulling a copy out of my pocket.

"You have a copy of your bucket list in your robe pocket?"

"Yes, is this a problem?"

She doesn't respond, she just giggles and grabs the list from me. She scans it over and I watch her eyes open widely.

"You typed in 'Marry Bella.' When did you do that? How did you know I'd say yes?"

I'm silent for a moment, considering whether or not I should confess the entire truth.

"Well, my mind has been resolved on this issue for some time, as you know," I start. "The idea of being able to call you _mine_ is an incredibly appealing one."

I pause for a moment and Bella circles her hand in the air in a _get-on-with-the-story_ motion.

Heaving a deep sigh, I opt for the entire truth. "I was interested in marrying you shortly after our first date."

Bella's calm reaction to my admission is to spit out her coffee across the breakfast table.

"What?"

"Silverfox, we barely knew each other. How could you have wanted to marry me so quickly?"

Undaunted by her response, I continue. "In a way, I think the very first time I saw you in the Laundromat, when I was trying so hard to figure out how to do laundry, I just knew. You were so familiar in a way I can't even explain. And then we started talking, and it was like I'd known you forever."

"You sound awfully touchie-feelie for a guy who's supposedly ruled by science," she teases.

"I worried about what type of ring you would want very shortly after I met you," I explain. "I wanted something arty and unique. Beautiful. I wanted to represent who you are in a ring. That's when I remembered my great-grandmother's ring. Carlisle had it in his safety deposit box; our mother had intended to give it to her daughter, but she only had sons. It went to Carlisle because he was the eldest child. I asked him if I might use it for you and he loved the idea of it being used again."

I see her gazing down at the ring, but she doesn't say anything.

"I went out on a limb, guessing you would like this ring, but if you don't, I'm more than happy to let you choose something for yourself."

She shakes her head vehemently. "No, I love this ring. It's perfect. The fact that it's your great-grandmother's makes it even more special. The stone isn't a sapphire, but it's such a brilliant shade of blue. What is it?"

I take her hand in mine, bending her fingers in a way to show off the ring. "It's an opaque lapis lazuli gemstone in an oval setting. The lapis lazuli is believed to be the stone of truth, bringing honesty and harmony to a relationship. The band is platinum to symbolize strength and longevity. The stacked diamond hearts along the band were chosen by my great-grandfather, meant to show his eternal, abiding love."

"Please tell me that you googled all that to find the meaning."

"In fact, no. My brother told me about it."

I see tears well up in Bella's eyes again, so I pull her into my lap. "What is it?"

"It's perfect. I'm proud to wear your ring, even if I never believed I'd want to get re-married. I'm surprised at myself. Happily surprised."

"So, those are happy tears?"

"Very happy tears, yes."

I kiss her tears and wipe them away. "You've made me the happiest man alive, you know. I feel like I won the lottery the day you walked into my life."

Bella sniffs and her breath stutters, a result of her coming down from the tears. Grabbing the list, she flattens it out on the table in front of us.

"All right, we're going to tackle scuba diving today, which leaves us with sex in the ocean and getting married."

"We'll have the bucket list completed by the time we get home, except for the marriage part."

"Um," she pauses, biting her lip.

"What?"

She shakes her head quickly. "Nothing. I'm just not ready to figure out wedding logistics right now."

I kiss her cheek. "I know. I'm not in a hurry. We can do this at whatever pace you choose."

She snuggles into that space between my neck and my shoulder and murmurs a "thank you."

**~xXx~**

Several hours later, I find myself in the ship's pool with Bella, learning the basics of SCUBA diving. Well, I'm trying to focus on the basics, but Bella is wearing a bikini. It turns my brain into the consistency of agar when she has so much skin showing. Our instructor, Juliet, is very patient. Bella and I are her only pupils today.

While Juliet is getting our equipment ready, Bella turns around and gives me a very deep, passionate kiss. Pulling away from her with a huge smile on my face, I wonder what the kiss is for. Bella seems to sense my confusion.

"I need to let Juliet know that you are not her Romeo."

"What, baby? I have no idea why you're even saying that."

Bella rolls her eyes at me. "She touches you every chance she can get, Silverfox. She's a real Daddy's girl. Ick."

"She is? Really?"

"Oh come on! How could you not notice? She's practically using her breasts to do all the talking."

"There's only one pair of breasts in the world that I'm concerned about, and those would be yours. Which now belong to me."

I get a goofy grin on my face just thinking about the fact that Bella is all mine. I lean over to give her a kiss and pinch her nipple through her bikini to emphasize my point. Naturally, Juliet appears just as I'm pinching Bella and I put my hand back into the water as if it's on fire. Bella wastes no time grabbing my hand in hers. I love the fact that she feels just as possessive as I do—it's very reassuring. I remind myself how I felt when Buzz was all over Bella during our skydiving adventure and feel a bit justified that she has to go through the same thing.

Once we have on all our gear, we finally get to submerge ourselves. While it's only a pool, I'm still in awe of how it feels to be weightless underneath the water's surface. All I can hear is my breathing—the silence is wonderful. It's a challenge to coordinate everything we've learned, but eventually I get it. Bella and I are trying to communicate to each other underwater, and we both recognize that it's going to take a bit of practice before we get that one down. Juliet taps me on the head to signal it's time to come up.

"So, what you think of diving, Edward?" She asks in her French accent.

"I can't wait to do the real thing."

When Juliet's only reply is a wink, I start to understand that Bella may just have a point.

I cough to clear my throat. "Heh. Um, is it almost time for lunch?"

"Oui, zee lesson is finished."

I look over at Bella and her arms are crossed in front of her. "Yes, let's get to lunch, MY Edward," she grabs my hand and starts to drag me out of the pool.

I decide that I'm enjoying possessive Bella very much.

"What's the grin for?"

"I'm just amused. I feel like this is the universe righting itself after our experience with Buzz and skydiving."

"Well, I'm glad someone is enjoying this," She says, huffing loudly. "I want to find out if she's doing the dive tomorrow. If so, I might request another instructor."

"Hey, it's not like you have any competition, you know."

Bella rolls her eyes at me. "Dry that one out you can fertilize the lawn."

I grab her arm to slow her down. "Just a second here, missy. Say what you want to about Juliet, but _never_ question my affection nor my attraction to you. There is only one woman who will ever make my world turn, and her name is Isabella Swan. Soon to be Isabella Cullen."

"I have an issue with that, actually…"

"What? Have you changed your mind?" My heart starts to sink in my stomach and feel nauseated.

"About the name Cullen."

Relief floods over me. "_That_ we can talk about. Your not marrying me, I can't even go there."

I notice Juliet starting to walk by, so I grab Bella, pull her in close to me, and kiss her with all the passion I can summon. When I finish, we're both panting and Juliet is nowhere to be seen.

"Now, let me bring you back to our room and spend s few hours showing you just how little what's-her-name means to me, hmm?"

"Yes, please," Bella says almost breathlessly.

**~xXx~**

We choose to eat in the dining room tonight, just for a change of pace. While elegant and delicious, it's just not the same as having Bella all to myself on our balcony. We decide to have our after dinner drinks at the bar; we have yet to visit that part of the ship, as we've been rather busy exploring every last inch of our room up until now. When we arrive, I see a beautiful Steinway in the corner and my fingers start to itch. Without even thinking about what I'm doing, I walk straight to the piano and take a seat. I run through some scales to see what kind of action the keys have and it's so smooth I could swear the piano is playing itself. It's been years since I've really played and I didn't realize how much I miss it. My fingers are stiff but it's amazing how keen muscle memory can be. I drift into playing some Chopin, my favorite. I close my eyes, soaking in the sound and feeling of my fingers on the keys and I lose myself. Nothing else exists in this moment except the music I'm playing. When I hit the last note I let out a contented sigh, then remove my hands from the keyboard. To my surprise, a round of applause follows. I open my eyes and realize that I just played the piano in front of a bar full of people. I can feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment, but what I notice the most is the look of reverence on Bella's face.

"You play the piano?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess I do."

"Do you have any other hidden talents I need to know about? Double-O seven? Ninja master?" she laughs.

"Well, it never came up," I explain. "I guess I forgot."

"Silverfox, how did I ever get so lucky to find you?"

I pull her down onto the piano bench and give her a kiss. I whisper into her ear, "It was the thongs, Bella."

She leans over and then whispers into my ear "Oh, then it's a good thing that's what I'm wearing tonight."

"Did you mean to kill me, or was that inadvertent?"

"What good would it do me to kill you? Then you won't be able to fuck me," she whispers again.

"In that case, let's just fuck the idea of drinks and go practice removing that thong of yours. I have a feeling I need a lot of help in getting it off," I smile against her cheek.

"You get off just fine," she smiles, taking my hand and towing me out of the bar.

I groan and follow my vixen back to our room. What else could I possibly do? I'm thinking with my penis at this point.

Once in our room, Bella walks to our balcony. It isn't until I see her standing there that it dawns on me—she's wearing one of her dresses that ties on the side. How did I not notice this before? She's holding her arms out to the side, just waiting for me to come undress and defile her.

I'm very okay with this idea. Happily, my penis agrees with me. I practically run out to the balcony to meet her, but I'm stopped short when she places her hand on my chest.

"Stop—I have a question for you."

My cock is hard and my brain function has gone back to its agar-like consistency. Can't possibly answer a question in this state. I can only garble out a noise that sounds like "dkadjfldjvdkfs."

"Am I untying my dress, or are you?"

Oh, I can answer this one. Well, I don't even need to answer, because my hand just shoots out and lands on the tie, yanking it open.

I can feel the smug grin on her face even if I can't see it, but I don't let that stop me. The minute the tie is undone, I yank off her dress and she stands before me in nothing more than her thong. No bra, no hose, just a thong. Sweet jesus in heaven, she is so hot. I would try speaking again, but I know I'll only utter more Cro-Magnon noises.

Fortunately, Bella handles the talking part for both of us. "Silverfox," she croons softly. "Balcony sex."

I nod my head vigorously to signal my approval.

Silently, she starts to remove my clothing, but insists on doing it slowly. What in god's name put the idea into her head that I can handle anything slow right now? I try to hurry her along by helping, but she only swats my hands away. We're in the midst of breaking the record for the longest undressing in the history of mankind and _she swats my hands away_. I make more unintelligible noises and end up putting my hands into her hair. I tug impatiently then realize that she's on her knees, unzipping my pants. Her mouth is no more than two inches from my cock and she stops to look up at me. A grin forms on her face and she keeps her gaze on me while her hand starts to rub my erection.

The woman is clearly a sadist.

"Baaaaaby," I moan at her. Whimpering, I start to plead with her to hurry it up. "Please? Pleasepleaseplease?"

Fortunately, my wife-to-be has some mercy in her soul and pulls my boxers and pants off in one swift movement. Sliding her hand down my shaft, she grabs the base and squeezes as her tongue circles around the head. I wiggle my hips back and forth, trying so hard to let her lead, but damn, I want to just thrust myself into her mouth.

Most of the time, I like to think that my Bella is a kind-hearted soul, but she's showing me that she's nothing more than the devil. Looking up at me once again, she commands, "Fuck my mouth, Silverfox. Fuck it as hard as you know you want to."

Trying to be quiet as I follow her directions, I watch myself sliding in and out of her gorgeous mouth and I couldn't possibly ask for a more perfect woman. She reaches down and cups my balls, giving them a little tug. I have to clench my teeth in order not to scream. I can feel my orgasm starting to build, but want to slow it down so I can finish inside of her. It takes all my willpower, but I slip myself out of her mouth.

"What?" she pouts.

"Lube," I grunt, incapable of uttering more than a syllable.

Understanding dawns on her face and she runs to grab the bottle. When she returns, I point at the railing. Kneeling down, I squirt some lube all over my hand and carefully slick it over her outer lips, her clit, her opening. I slip three fingers inside her with one hand and rub her clit with the other. When she starts to moan as I press on her G-spot, I stand up.

"Are you ready for me, baby?"

"Yessss."

I put some lube on myself and turn back to Bella, who is practically hanging off the balcony railing she's trying to hard to get her ass into the air for me. Unable to resist, I give her cheek a spank and she shrieks out a squeak. I'm hoping to hell that our neighbors are still at dinner so they are oblivious to our loud antics.

"Shhh," I tell her as I laugh at her response. Soon we're both laughing, up until the moment I thrust my cock into her.

Watching myself moving in and out of her is one of the best sights in the world. I'm struck by the fact that I'm having sex on a cruise ship balcony off the coast of Tahiti with the most amazing woman I've ever known. I never expected to be able to have any of these experiences and I'm awed by the fact that I'm actually here in this moment. I'm a completely different man than I was just a year ago and the incredible, deep love I feel for the woman who made this all possible is overwhelming.

It isn't until I hear the loud knock on the door that I realize that Bella and I are making quite a bite of noise with our moans and gasps and "fuck me harder"s.

"Shit!" Bella says in a half whisper.

I slide out of her quickly and dash into the room to find a robe. The lights are out and I have no idea where I left it. Frantic, I grab a sheet from the bed and wrap it around myself. Bella runs to hide in the bathroom while I answer the door.

Mana is standing in front of me with a pained look on his face. "Yes?"

"Monsieur Cullen," he starts. "I am 'appy you and Madame Cullen enjoy zee rhoom so well. But per'aps you enjoy eet a beet more quiet, oui?"

I feel like my entire body is blushing. We've been busted by the butler for having loud sex.

Clearing my throat, I reply. "Of course, Mana. I'm so sorry you had to do this. We'll behave from now on, I promise."

Mana's face breaks into a huge grin. "I deed not say you muss be'ave, Monsieur. I only said wees less noize," he slaps my shoulder heartily.

I grin back at him. "Okay, Mana. I promise to enjoy my wife-to-be with vigor, but a more quiet version of vigor."

"Oui, quiet vigor," he says, shaking my hand. He bows and walks away.

I go to retrieve Bella from the bathroom.

"Oh my god, we were busted for being too loud, weren't we?" she says, slightly panicked.

"Yes, the butler busted us, baby," I chuckle.

"That kind of makes us sex gods, doesn't it?" she grins.

"I believe you are correct."

She pulls the sheet from my body, tossing it aside and walks into the shower. "Then that means you need to fuck me against the shower wall."

Now I truly feel like I must have died and been transported to someone else's life. I mean, no one's life can be this good. Do women like Bella even exist outside a man's private sexual fantasy? I pinch myself and it hurts. Huh, I guess it is really my life.

All the commotion has deflated my otherwise awesome erection, but that doesn't stop Bella for a minute. Grabbing my cock, she starts to stroke me while cupping my balls. Like a good boy, he behaves for her beautifully, and I'm ready to fulfill our version of sex god royalty.

I back Bella into a corner and she hooks her legs around my waist. This time I place a hand firmly over her mouth as I thrust in and out of her to ensure that any screams will be muffled. I manage to get her off before I come and it feels just as incredible as it always does.

As we pant together, recovering from our awesome sex, Bella nudges me. "I need a high five for that sex, Silverfox. We're oldsters and we got busted. That's pretty amazing, huh?"

"Don't you dare insult us by saying that was amazing. It was beyond amazing. It was so incredible, we need to coin a new adjective. I think the best place for us to think one up is to do some power snuggling in bed. Get your adorable heinie under the covers before I spank you all the way there."

Bella covers her ass and giggles her way to our bed. When I slip in next to her, she pretends to fight me off. I don't buy it for a second. I pull her in close to me and whisper in her ear, "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Bella Swan. I don't even recognize my life anymore and thank god for that. Thank _you_ for that. I swear, I love you so much it hurts."

She turns in my arms so that she's facing me. "Oh, my Silverfox, you have no idea. When I was young, love felt entirely different. It was simpler. You loved someone, they loved you, and that was it. When Jake found Nessie, I could see that while he might _need_ me, he _wanted_ Nessie, and those are two entirely different types of love. When I watched him look at her, I understood the anguish of wanting, too. Or not being wanted. I think both are equally as painful. No matter how much it hurt me, I couldn't see that look of desire on his face and deny him that. At the same time, I grieved, recognizing that I would never be the one who was wanted. I closed myself off after that, focused on raising my children as best I could. Now I can see that I was just trying to spare myself the pain of being unwanted by someone else. When I saw you look at me the same way Jake looked at Ness, I could hardly believe that finally I was wanted, too. Being wanted and loved by you is the most satisfying, unexpected thing I've ever experienced. There's nothing more I want or need in my life than you."

"I love every last inch of you, Bella, but I'm not going to lie—your brain is the part I love most of all," I squeeze her tightly and kiss the top of her head. "And there's no one I'd rather get busted with than you."

I feel her burrow into my chest and we quickly fall asleep after our exhausting day.

**~xXx~**

I wake up the next morning in an empty bed. Bella's side is cold, so she's been up for a while. I sit up suddenly, my brain sending out "Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!" signals all over the place. Although it's a suite, our room is still small, so it's fairly obvious that Bella isn't here. That doesn't stop me from looking in the bathroom, the closet, under the bed. Nope. No Bella.

I throw on some clothes and hustle to the restaurant. I can't imagine that Bella opted to have breakfast without me, but I'll just go crazy if I have to sit and wait for her to appear. I'm not one of those people who can wait patiently for something to happen—I'm all about action.

To my shock, Bella is sitting at a table, deep in conversation with a woman who has what appears to be a small ball of fluff in her lap. I'm clearly having a _Twilight Zone_ moment; the only thing missing is Rod Serling's narrative. I walk over to the table and stand in front of Bella, perplexed. When she finally notices that I'm there, she squeaks out her delight.

"Silverfox! You found me. Sit," she points at the chair next to her. "This is Maxime. She's from Paris, and she breeds Pomeranians."

I look back and forth between the two women, confused. Apparently, the information Bella has given me is supposed to mean something to me. Meanwhile, Maxime is leaning toward me with her cheek jutting out, waiting for the kiss-on-the-cheek greeting that all Parisians employ.

Am I still dreaming?

The ball of fluff starts licking my hand and I can definitely feel it, so it appears as though I am not asleep.

Bella starts talking a mile a minute, so it's clear that she's already had several cups of coffee that are fueling her chatter. Maxime and the dog chime in here and there, so I'm being bombarded by estrogen and I haven't even had a cup of coffee to help me deal with the onslaught.

"Woke up… realized that we have two houses… what are we going to do, Edward… _Hhhoneee Bunnn… juste un petit bisous, Monsieur Silverfox_… then we need to figure out the wedding…_yipyipyipyip_"

I clunk my head on the table in a sign of surrender. The fluffball decides this is the perfect moment for an ambush. In less than a second, I have a Tribble licking my entire face. Do Tribbles even have tongues?

I slap my hand on the table to clear the air.

"I. Need. Coffee. Now," I say it as calmly and plainly as possible in order to slow things down.

"Yes, of course," Bella pours me a cup and slides it under my nose. The two women even give me a moment of respite in order to get a sip of coffee into my mouth. That's precisely the moment Bella chooses to go in for the kill.

"We're going to adopt a kid. Isn't that great news?"

The coffee never even makes it into my throat. Here, in the midst of a luxury cruise restaurant, I'm making the scene of a lifetime by spraying my coffee all over the table.

Coughing, I manage to choke out a loud, "WHAT?!"

Bella is taken aback, her look one of surprise and disappointment. Maxime snatches her dog from in front of me as if I have offended it.

Okay, so if I'm not dreaming, then my life has turned into the equivalent of a human version of _Fantasia_. And this is all before 8:00 in the morning.

Bella's face is all screwed up as she looks me over, then she starts to laugh. Loudly.

"Oh, not a real child, Silverfox. God, no! A kid, like a puppy. Like little Honey Bun," she points at the dog in Maxime's lap.

I take a deep breath in and out before I speak. "How about we start from the beginning? And at the speed of life, not the speed of light, please."

Bella sympathetically puts her hand on my cheek before she starts.

"I woke up at sunrise and couldn't get back to sleep, so I stepped out on the balcony to watch the sunrise. I nearly woke you up to see it with me, but you were snoring so soundly I didn't have the heart to disturb you. Then I was hungry so I came to get a bite to eat. I met Maxime because little Honey Bun escaped from her lap and attacked me with cuteness. Then Maxime and I got to talking about her life and Paris, and she offered to get us connected with a breeder in the States."

"Ah. That helps a bit. Thank you, love," I kiss Bella's cheek. "If the price of marrying you is adopting a furry child, I'm all for it."

I turn toward Maxime to offer my apologies. "Maxime, je suis très désolée. Pardonnez moi, je vous en prie," I take her hand in mine and kiss it lightly. She blushes furiously, so I know my work is done here.

Before I know it, my lap is filled with the fluffball once again. She's sitting there with her little front paws on the table as if she's participating in the conversation and I have to admit, she's actually pretty darn cute. It certainly wouldn't have been my first choice for a dog breed—I prefer a larger dog who can run with me—but I know it means a lot to Bella, and I'd move heaven and Earth to make her happy.

I'm trying to scarf down some breakfast while I listen to the ladies banter and keep Honey Bun from eating my meal before I do. When the hostess slips a small piece of paper to me, I can't believe this morning could get any stranger. I open the note and see it's from Mana.

_Cher Monsieur Cullen_

_The scuba trip will leave shortly. Please inform me if you wish still to attend or no._

_Mana _

I look at my watch and see we have only a few minutes to prepare for the trip. I scowl at my wrist, as if that will somehow change the time. I hate being late.

"What is it?"

"We're supposed to go diving any minute. We'll have to run back to the room to get ready."

Bella's eyes dart away from mine, almost as if she's nervous. "Oh."

"Bella?"

"I just thought that, erhm, I would take a spa day today. I have an, um, crick in my neck."

"What?"

"Yeah, I think that's why I woke up early."

"But I can't go diving without you, Bella. I mean, what's the point of that?"

"There's another dive when we get to Bora Bora that we can do together. This way, you can focus on learning how to dive instead of gaping at my bikini."

"Is this because of Juliet?"

Bella's eyes dart quickly to mine. "Why? Is she leading the trip? I thought it was someone else?"

"No, she isn't going to be there. I just thought maybe you'd soured on the experience because of her."

"Nope, I'm just achy. The dive only lasts a few hours, I'll see you again by this afternoon."

"Bella—I…"

"It's fine, Silverfox. You'll be fine. Now shoo! Go get yourself ready," she gives my pouting lips a big kiss, then leans to whisper into my ear. "I promise to make it up to you tonight."

"I don't know…"

She crosses her arms and gives me a look. "Please, Edward. Please do this for me."

"Oh, all right," I say with resignation.

"Thank you. You won't regret this, I swear."

I turn and place four kisses on Maxime's cheeks, just like they do in Paris. "A toute à l'heure, ma belle madame."

"D'accord. Hhhoney Bunn waits for you. Bye-bye."

I walk away from the table feeling miserable. I'm so confused by Bella's uncharacteristic behavior. Why would she get up before me and leave to have breakfast on her own? She didn't even wake me up to see the sunrise. Plus, we've been planning to go scuba diving together for months. I can't believe she'd bail out at the last minute. There's also the issue that she couldn't look me in the eye, which is so unlike her.

What on Earth is going on?

**~xXx~**

**Silverfox's Bucket List (as it stood at the beginning of the chapter)**

1. _Skydiving_

2. _Scuba diving_

3. _Yoga, during which I will not become sexually aroused_.

4. _Sex in the ocean_

5. _Sexting_

6. _Phone sex_

7. _Sex in public_

8. _Sex with Edward, tied up and at my mercy_

9. _Voyeurism_

10. _Porch swing sex_

11. _Marry Bella_

**END NOTE: This chapter is dedicated to little Honey Bun, who recently passed away. She was a real-life Pom who was rescued by faithful reader burntcore; we're talking 100% cuteness. Rest in Peace, little one.**

**Agar is a gelatinous substance derived from seaweed that is used in laboratories as a biological culture medium to culture cells. **


	16. Chapter 16

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: The long awaited finish to the story has arrived. For those of you who have kept with me until this point, I thank you for your patience and loyalty. Back when I started writing this, I never imagined the twists and turns my life would take in the interim. I never planned to be one of THOSE writers, but alas, I can call a spade a spade. My most humble and sincere apologies for making you all wait so damn long. **

**Things I own: A completed story about Silverfox and his Bella. *big fistpump***

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**CHAPTER 16**

Soul mates are supposedly created when a soul splits in half and occupies two different bodies. Why would my soul mate ditch me like this, with only a moment's warning? I'm quickly sinking into a _mood_.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Cullen," Mana greets me. "You scuba alone today." It's not a question; it's a statement.

"Yes, Mana… how did you know that?"

"Zee lovely Madame eez not wiss you," he answers simply.

"No. She isn't. Spa day," I explain tersely.

"Ah, oui. Le spa day."

Quietly, I take my gear from Mana and meet the rest of my dive team. It's a ridiculously beautiful morning—the sky is bright blue and cloudless. I look out over the sea, marveling at the various shades of blue-deep sapphire that fades to aqua, then to the palest light blue as it gets increasingly shallow. I could take a thousand pictures of this scene and never be able to capture the colors satisfactorily.

When we arrive at the dive site, I listen carefully to the instructions, but say nothing. The overall level of excitement is nearly palpable, but I don't share the enthusiasm. I prepare myself for the dive, go over everything with the dive master, and before I know it, I'm underwater. We're near a small atoll that's relatively shallow and free of dangerous currents. Since I have no dive partner, one of the instructors is diving with me. For a split second, I wished that the woman who taught our first dive lesson could be my partner, just to irk Bella, but my guilty conscience kicks in almost as fast and I feel positively ashamed for thinking such a thing. I need to accept that Bella has every right to have time to herself. The last thing I want to do is suffocate her.

Giving my partner a thumbs up, I start to swim slowly, getting used to maneuvering in the ocean versus a pool. I love the silence of being underwater; it's instant tranquility. If I thought that the ocean was beautiful from the view of our ship, it's nothing in comparison to the underwater panorama. It's only in this moment I understand exactly what Ringo Starr was singing about in _The Octopus' Garden_. The brilliantly colored sea life of the underwater landscape does look just like a garden. I get lost for a minute, sinking back into biologist mode from my undergraduate days. I smile to myself when I think of Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution. Scuba diving would have blown his mind, I'm sure of it. My smile quickly fades for a beat when I see a black-tipped shark swim by. I'm very safe, but the conditioning we've all gone through from watching _Jaws_ is undeniable. I talk myself down, remembering that sharks can detect fear via the change in electrical charges on my skin. It's not like a Great White is heading straight for me, after all.

I turn to nudge Bella and show her the shark, only then remembering that she's not here. Everything feels muted and wrong without her by my side; it's hardly even worth experiencing. I'm more than a little disconcerted by this feeling, so I try to tease apart why I'm so upset she chose the spa over me. I mean, she deserves to be pampered more than anyone else I know, so I should be happy for her.

Am I really this dependent upon her already? I've never been the kind of person who relied upon someone else for my sense of wellbeing; my marriage to Jessica is proof of that. By the end, our lives were almost completely autonomous. When I'm around Bella, though, no matter what else is taking place, I'm inextricably linked to her in an almost symbiotic way. Without her, I feel like a piece of me is missing. To need someone, to love someone this much means that I'm in for one hell of a fall if anything ever happens to her. I guess that just proves how much I really do love her, and that realization scares the crap out of me.

I continue to check in with my dive partner while mulling over my new role as the Lovesick Boy. I can see that no matter how stunning, intense, blah blah blah this scuba experience may be, it doesn't hold a candle to spending an extra five minutes with Bella. Suddenly, I'm hit hard with an epiphany. As difficult as it is to be without her, that may be exactly why she needs a spa day.

Space.

She needs space.

Apart from me.

I try not to take that too personally, but admittedly, it's tough, because all I want is her. She's been even more independent than I was for far longer than I've been and I need to respect that.

Bloody fucking hell, I _am_ a doomed, Lovesick Boy.

I'm getting more than a little bit annoyed with the Lovesick Boy in my head, so I force myself to think about something else. I let my mind wander to our families, wondering how they'll react to the news that we're engaged. I like to imagine they'll all be as thrilled as we are, but only time will tell. Until then, I'll just try to stick to images of our huge, happy brood gathering together to celebrate that happy occasion. My mind shifts gears from thinking of our huge family to how Bella might choose to celebrate our wedding. My guess is that she'll prefer something quiet and subdued since she hates being the center of attention. As long as she ends up my wife, I don't really care about anything else. I sigh as I realize that my mind didn't shift gears at all; I doubt that I'll feel any better until I have my Bella safely back in my arms again.

My partner taps me on the shoulder, signaling that the dive is complete. One step closer to Bella? Brilliant.

**~xXx~**

On the way back to the ship, our dive master tells us about Tahiti's unique black pearls. Apparently, Tahiti is the only place in the world where you can find naturally occurring black pearls. He shows us a strand, and they're magnificent. All I can think of is how incredible these would look on Bella against her ivory skin. I pull the man aside and offer him a ridiculous amount of cash on the spot to let me buy it from him—I don't even care if he overcharges me. This necklace is a symbolic representation of my love for Bella: beautiful, rare and valuable. I explain our story to him-how I met Bella late in life, that she's my soul mate-in order to convince him to part with the necklace and he smiles at me. It's clear that I won't stop pestering him until the strand is mine, so he finally agrees to sell it to me, on one condition: that I love and cherish the woman who will wear these for the rest of my life. That's a promise I can definitely keep.

I'm surprised when I glance up and see the _Paul Gauguin _in front of us; a huge smile grows on my face, and I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that I weathered the day alone. Of course it would've been much better if Bella had been with me, but I resolve to share my day with her in gory detail. In fact, I intend to stun her with details, just to prove to her that I have so much additional mental capacity when I'm not scheming over to get her out of her clothes. I wasn't aware of how much brainpower having sex with Bella eats up. I chuckle over that, imagining the eye roll that would earn me.

As we approach the ship, I get a glimpse of Mana on deck, pacing back and forth. I'm instantly on edge, worried about Bella. I've never seen that man look anything less than completely calm. Something is definitely wrong—I just know it. What could have possibly gone wrong during a spa day? Did she get burnt while waxing her legs? My mind wanders briefly to other body parts she might have been waxing, and the possibility of them getting burned, and I close myself off. I can't even bear to think about that.

As I rush aboard, my heart racing, Mana's eyes dart to me and his face instantly eases into a look of relief.

"'Ello, Monsieur Cullen," he says in his most relaxed tone. "Madame Bella, she is in need of you."

I actually feel my heart skip a beat as the words _in need of you_ are uttered. "Is everything all right, for Christ's sake?"

"I do not know zee answer," he says cryptically.

"Then bring me to her. Now," I growl out. I'm in no mood for politeness.

"But of course."

Mana leads me away from the watersports marina entrance. I know that whether he heads upstairs or down will answer most of my questions—the ship's hospital is below us, on the third deck. Mana pauses briefly before heading upstairs, and I breathe a sigh of relief, following closely behind. When he stops on the eighth deck, I hear native music playing in the background, full of pounding drums and the sensuous sound of the flute. He gives me a broad smile and heads toward the ship's pool. I can't even begin to imagine what's awry here, so I simply continue to follow his lead. We walk past the pool and I notice that everyone is dressed in white, wearing leis made from plumeria flowers; their incredible aroma fills the air. Strings of lights are hung along the deck, making me wonder if there's a special party onboard tonight. I hear some loud yips and see little Honey Bun skittering down the deck toward me, excited and spinning in circles once I bend down to pet her. She's clearly reveling in all the attention she's getting tonight.

I'm still not sure why all the cloak and dagger with Mana is necessary, but that doesn't stop me from following him. If it is a ship party, it makes no sense for him to bring me here; clearly, I need to shower after my day in the sea. As we approach La Palette, the ship's outdoor lounge, Mana steers me to a changing room. Confused, I look inside and see clothing on a hanger—a crisp white shirt and pants and a lei draped around the collar.

"Ziss ees for you to wear, Monsieur," he explains.

"I don't understand."

"You eat dinner wiss zee capitaine tonight."

"Oh, I see. So this is the reception ahead of time?" I ask, nodding toward the people gathered on deck.

"Oui, Monsieur," he confirms. "But you muss dress in ziss, as zee capitaine requess."

Dinner with the captain? I'm far more interested in a private dinner with Bella in my room, so I can molest her whenever the mood strikes. As often as the mood strikes. Which is likely to be a great deal after 8 hours without her. Sadly, the molestation will have to wait until later. I hope she's prepared, because she won't be doing much walking tomorrow once I'm done with her tonight.

"Mana? Where's Bella?"

He stands there before me, perfectly calm and unmoving, except that his eyes dart quickly to the side, as if he can't force himself to look me directly in the eyes. It lasts less than a blink, but I know what I saw. Something is definitely afoot, and I suspect the butler did it in the reception room with the string of lights. He inhales briefly before answering me and I use that moment to my advantage. I grab his lapel and pull him into me so that our faces are mere inches apart.

"Don't you even think about telling me anything that isn't the truth, and you will tell me this truth _right now_," I explain calmly but with gravitas.

Mana clears his throat and attempts to move away from me. I'm in his comfort zone, which is exactly where I mean to be.

"Euh, Madame Bella, she iz already wiss zee capitaine, Monsieur."

I let go of him abruptly, not at all happy with the news of Bella being alone with the captain. In fact, I'm most unhappy about it. I've just had a day where Bella left me alone in our room in order to eat breakfast with an old woman and her froufrou dog, begged out of scuba diving in order to have a spa day, and is now carousing with the ship's captain. While I trust Bella implicitly, just because a man is a ship's captain doesn't imply that he's honorable. I'm suffering from an extreme lack of Bella Swan, and I instantly decide that the clothes can fucking wait.

"Take me to them," I intone seriously.

It isn't a request, and Mana knows this. He looks uneasy, but follows my command. I don't even care that I'm still half wet, half naked and my hair looks like a rat's nest. I have to be sure that Bella isn't being devoured by a wolf for dinner. I follow Mana's lead again and see that all the tables have been moved to the sides of the deck, decorated in white tablecloths with candles. There are even more strands of lights and plumeria overhead. Everyone steps aside as we pass, and then suddenly I see her.

My Bella.

Standing in front of me, shocked, clad in a simple but elegant white dress. I stop cold, gaping.

What the hell is going on?

Bella looks at me with a disapproving, furrowed brow then turns her ire toward Mana.

"Mana! He isn't even dressed!" she scolds.

Mana sighs deeply in reply. "Oui, Madame. I know. 'Ee would not do eet wissout seeing you firss."

She shakes her head at the pair of us. "Honestly Silverfox, you have to be the most difficult man in the world to surprise!" she huffs.

"Surprise?"

"Yes. I practically had to shove you off the boat today. I nearly had to say something mean in order to get you to leave."

"But… you… erhm… spa day?" I choke out.

She frowns at me, shaking her head then crosses her arms in deep disapproval. "I thought you would be far easier to convince, so I guess that lesson's been learned. Now, please go get dressed. For my sake."

"Uh… but, dinner with the captain?" I continue to sputter, at a true loss for words.

She simply gives me another disapproving look and points in the direction from which I came. All I can do is raise my arms in the air to indicate my complete surrender.

"Okay, okay, I'm going."

Mana looks at me with a knowing grin on his face, so I just follow along, doing as I'm told.

I quickly shower and get dressed, but I don't know why Bella wants to surprise me. It's just dinner with the captain, after all. When we get back to Bella, this time she gives me a serene smile. The captain is there as well, standing at the tip of the boat's deck.

Okay, I'm officially confused. What kind of party is this?

I take a closer look at everything this time—everyone is now sitting at a table, looking at me. Bella's standing by the captain. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this looks just like a _wedding_.

Finally, I get it. My sneaky minx of a fiancée didn't have a spa day at all. She had a plan-an-impromptu-wedding day.

How?

Why?

When?

I cease all forms of thinking when I feel her lips on mine, because nothing else in the world matters anymore. I wrap my arms tightly around her, my lips smiling over hers; I'm completely overjoyed. When we break the kiss in order to breathe, I want to say so many things to her, but she's rendered my brain's connection to the rest of my body inert. I couldn't form a coherent sentence if I tried. Still, I do try.

"You—?"

"Yes, I had to work miracles to get this all done while you were gone. Mana and the captain have been wonderful."

"Why?"

She smiles and giggles softly. "When I woke up at sunrise this morning, I looked out over the water and I just knew this needed to happen. We're in the most beautiful, serene place I've ever seen. Why would we ever wait to get married, when we can do it all now?" She leans into my ear, saying more softly, less assuredly, "Are you with me, Silverfox?"

Am I with her?

Is she fucking kidding me?

"Get me to that altar. STAT."

"That's my boy," she says with genuine approval, swatting my ass.

Linking my arm in hers, she nods toward the captain and he lifts his hand to beckon us forward.

Arm in arm, I walk down the short aisle with my Bella, my everything, the woman who bewitched me from the very first moments I saw her. I have a ridiculously silly grin on my face and I don't even care. I'm marrying the most incredible woman who was ever born. Not only is she marrying me, _she_ arranged this all on her own. I'm so lost in love with her I don't really even comprehend who I am as a person separate from her. That individual doesn't make sense to me anymore.

When we reach the captain, he smiles at us and says a few words of welcome to our audience before launching right into the vows. Right before we say, "I do," the captain pauses to allow us to say a few words extemporaneously. Being the man part of our equation, he looks at me to go first.

My brain is instantly seized in panic—I'm the type of guy who prefers to let others do the talking. I'm fine in a small group situation, but this is completely different. I'm marrying the love of my life, how am I possibly going to be able to come up with something off the top of my head? I take a deep breath and decide to trust myself to wing it appropriately.

"My Bella," I start, kissing her forehead. "I met you in a Laundromat—a place where things get cleaned, so it's only natural that you polished me up, made me better, gave me experiences I never knew I'd have in my lifetime. For a while, you were my friend, but I think that even from that very first moment, I knew what I was waiting for—the woman who would become my wife. Also, I have a confession to make to you. I have a washer and dryer at home, but I knew that at a Laundromat I wouldn't feel so alone in the world, and look what I found instead: the love of my life."

I finish and nod slightly so she knows I'm done.

"It's funny how things look when you're older and wiser. I've worked my way through angst and heartache to achieve a wholly satisfying independence. Now I'm willingly, happily giving all that hard work up in order to share my life with you. I finally know what's important. Dirty socks left on the floor don't matter. The footprints you leave all over my heart and soul do. I'll love you for the rest of my life."

I hear the yips of Honey Bun and look down to see she has a lei of her own. Attached to the lei, I see Bella's engagement ring. I unclasp the tie and grin as the captain instructs me to slip the ring on her finger as I say, "I do." I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it now fits her perfectly—she managed to get it resized in one day? The woman is a miracle worker. Bella grabs something from her pocket then takes my hand in hers. She slips a ring onto my finger. I look down to see that it's a simple ring made from mother of pearl. It's made up of swirls of blues and greens, and looks perfect paired next to Bella's Lapis Lazuli.

"We'll get you a proper ring once we get home," she whispers. "I just found this one in the ship's boutique."

"This is a proper ring and it will always remind me of this dream vacation with you in Tahiti. I'll never take it off," I whisper back with complete sincerity.

"I do," she says aloud. I hardly need to wait for the captain to tell me to kiss my wife. I cup her cheeks in my hands and give her a kiss for the ages. It isn't until I hear the captain clearing his throat that I remember we aren't alone.

"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," that captain tells the crowd.

I take Bella's left hand in mine and raise it above our heads in a show of victory. Together, we walk down the aisle once more toward Mana, who has champagne waiting for us. Taking the glasses from him, we clink them together in a toast to ourselves.

"Bien jouez, Monsieur Cullen."

"Thank you, Mana," I smile.

The sun is just starting to set so the lights glow more strongly. It lends a completely ethereal feel to the atmosphere. I feel goofy and lightheaded, and I know that it isn't just because of the champagne. I don't think I've ever been happier in my life. There's something about being older and wiser and making more appropriate choices that makes my decision to marry Bella the best I've ever made.

The boat sounds a loud _toot_ and Bella turns to me. "That's for us."

I look at her, not sure what she means. Is that like a celebratory honk?

"We're in Bora Bora," she winks. "Honeymoon time."

The ridiculous goofy grin reappears and I scoop her into my arms once again. God, I love this woman.

"Lead the way, Mana."

"Bien sûr, Madame Bella."

The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort water taxi meets us at the ship and ferries us to shore. The sun has set, but the resort is alight. We're met at the shore by the hotel manager while the valet arranges for our luggage to be transported to our overwater villa. We follow the manager down a long dock to our overwater villa. When he opens the door, Bella's jaw drops in surprise.

"This is all for _us_?" She gapes.

I scoot in behind her, pulling her body into mine and give her a swift kiss on the neck. "Yep. I told you that I was going to spoil you rotten, didn't I?"

"Edward, this is… just… "

"Breathtaking," I answer for her, although I'm referring to her neck.

"Yes," she whispers breathily.

"Why don't you check things out while I wait for the valet," I suggest, knowing that if I stand like this for another second, I'll be tempted to pull her onto the kitchen counter and have my way with her in front of the hotel staff.

While the luggage arrives fairly quickly, waiting for the chance to get Bella alone and naked is maddening. My need to have her is so strong, based upon the emotional highs and lows I've been through today.

I see Bella appear out of the corner of my eye as I'm tipping the valet. I turn to see her eyes bugging out of her head. She says nothing, just beckons me urgently with her hand. I follow her into the bathroom, which is exquisite, and she points at the shower. It's an open design, no walls, just a large square tub about two feet deep. Directly next to the shower is a deep square spa.

I grin at Bella's inability to speak, satisfied to know that I knocked her socks off. I've always dreamed of staying in a place like this and can imagine no better way to experience this than with my Bella on the night we got married. It's perfect.

"Mrs. Cullen, I need to inform you that this particular villa is _clothing optional_, meaning you won't have any clothing on for the next 48 hours," I explain as I slip her dress from her shoulders, kissing each one before the dress falls to the ground.

Bella reaches over and palms my hardening cock before deftly removing my pants along with the rest of my clothing. Naturally, she's got nothing but a thong on underneath her dress, so I get a bit worked up over that.

"You sneaky little minx," I tease her as I slip the thong from her body.

"Why yes, I am," she grins proudly.

It dawns on me that we're finally, truly alone, and we're married. "Bella," my voice breaks from intense emotion. "Thank you so much for this gift," I say, kissing her wedding ring. "I never expected that you'd want to be married so soon."

"Like I already said, this is the perfect place to get married. It just made sense to me."

"I hope you know that I spent the entire day wallowing without you. I was so worried you were getting tired of me already."

"Tired of you? Are you kidding me? That's never going to happen."

"Good. Now let's get into that shower. I need to thoroughly ravish my wife."

I pull Bella into the shower with me, making sure to maximize the amount of skin-to-skin contact we have. I kiss her very slowly, lightly, the start of a long tease. I'm going to make her scream my name in frustration she'll be so wound up. I grab a washcloth and soap to wash her entire body. I cover every last piece of her skin's surface, smiling to myself as I observe her skin pebbling in response to my attentions. On my knees in front of her, I look up to see her watching me intently. I toss the washcloth aside and lean over to kiss her just above her clitoris. I can smell how aroused she is and it makes me want to part her lips with my tongue, but I hold back. This is about showing her how much I cherish and adore her.

I lean over to kiss her nipples when she unexpectedly cups my balls and takes my erection into her hand. "Let me have you in my mouth, Edward. Please," she begs with a whimper. While I had planned to make this all about her, here she is once again showing me that our love, our relationship is genuinely a two-way street. I step back and nod my head.

On her knees in front of me, I watch her make love to my cock with her mouth and hands. It's clear that she loves doing this, loves pleasing me, and I can't even elaborate how much more intense and erotic this makes the whole act. She squeezes the base of my cock while stroking the spot just under my head with her tongue then goes back to taking me as deeply as she can in her mouth.

"Fuck, Bella," I moan.

"Yes, please," she winks.

I turn off the shower, knowing we have another forty-some hours to explore that area. I give her a thorough drying with the towel then take her into my arms and carry her to the bedroom. I throw her into the middle of the king-sized bed and slip in on top of her.

"I love you so much, Bella."

She places her hands on my cheeks, smiling radiantly. "Oh my Silverfox, I never knew I could feel like this. I never knew I could love someone this much. You've changed everything for me."

I kiss her gently. "I never want to stop kissing your lips."

"Mmmm," is her only reply.

I move down to her nipples, circling my tongue around them. I suck them into my mouth then release and blow on them. Her back arches in response.

"Your breasts belong in my hands, in my mouth. They're so perfect to me," I explain to her with sincerity.

I slide my hands down her sides, stopping at her hips while I deliver tiny kisses across her abdomen. I stop to circle my nose around her navel and she wraps her legs around my torso. I love to see her getting so into the moment.

"I love your soft, curvy belly. It's the best pillow imaginable."

I kiss my way from her navel to her pussy, once again stopping just above her clitoris. This time, I spread her lips slowly and just look at her. I'm amazed that the most beautiful part of a woman's body is hidden away under the labia just waiting to be discovered by the right individual.

I hold her lips open with my fingers as I move my tongue over every inch of her pussy. She's slick and so soft when I suck her clit into my mouth. I alternate my sucking with teasing flicks of my tongue, stopping short of giving her what she wants.

"Uhhhh," she groans. "I need you."

"Soon, love," I soothe as I sit up on my knees. I grab some lube and apply it to her, squirting some extra onto my palms. I run my thumb along her inner slit, fascinated by the way her opening twitches whenever I get close to it. A woman's body is amazing, but Bella's is incomparable. I could spend the rest of my life inside of her and it still would never be enough.

"You are exquisite," I explain to her as I lean in to give her pussy one last kiss. "I need to have you."

"Yes, yes, you have me. Need you to have me," she blurts out. I grin, knowing I've reduced her to one-syllable words.

"Bella, watch. Watch us move together," I coax, sliding my hard cock along her slit. She props herself up on her elbows, eyes trained on where we're about to be joined.

Slowly, so very slowly, I tease her opening with my tip. She groans in frustration. Her hips start to curve into me in an attempt to pull me in more deeply. Little by little, I give her a bit more of me, and she responds with whimpers. All I want to do is plunge as deeply as I can into her, but I want to savor this moment, too.

Finally, I'm deep inside of her and I stop all movement. Anchoring my arms around her shoulders, I pull her body hard into mine as I kiss her. I dart my tongue in and out of her mouth, so it matches the rhythm of my thrusts. She grabs my hair with one hand and uses the other to touch her clitoris. I break our kiss, panting, thrusting, out of my mind with pent up lust.

"Bell… need you… come, please come," I urge. She responds by setting her feet flat on the bed and curling her hips to take me more deeply, only her shoulders and feet remaining on the bed. As her orgasm starts, she pulls my hair hard, screaming.

"Ed-Ward," she gasps.

Fuck yes. A screaming orgasm for my new wife.

"Love" _thrust_ "you" _groan_ "Bella" _thrust_.

I come hard, as if it's been months since I last had an orgasm. Panting, I collapse onto her, sweaty and spent.

"Holy fucking hell that was incredible," she informs me.

I'm the poster model for sexagenarian sex; a veritable god of sex. I laugh at myself. Sexagenarian. I said _sex_.

"What's the chuckle for?" Bella smiles at me.

"I'm a fuckhot god of sexagenarian sex."

"Such a sexy sexagenarian," she giggles.

"Like I said," I grin.

"God, I love you. I never imagined I could love someone this much. I never thought I'd get the chance to have someone love me again," she tells me quietly.

"Me neither, my love. I feel so damn lucky."

She shakes her head at me. "Silverfox, you're as sexy as they come. Do you not remember the reaction of the yoga ladies? Women are always all over you."

"Attention is one thing, love is another. Especially the love of a woman who is as unique and special as you."

Bella gets up to go to the bathroom and I use that moment to grab our bucket list and the black pearl necklace I bought for her. I want to make sure we've covered all our bases. Literally. When she returns and sees the paper in my hands, she smiles. Grabbing the duvet in one hand and my hand in the other, she tugs me outside. Wrapping the duvet around us, hanging our feet off the ledge of the deck we snuggle into each other, quiet and blissful.

"Gimme a second," she explains, hopping up to her feet. I hear her rifling around in the kitchen and wonder what she's up to.

"Baby, bring out the champagne, won't you?" I ask.

I hear some more clinking and she reappears with the champagne, glasses, and matches. She returns to my side and hands me the champagne.

"I have something for you."

She raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

I pull out the strand of pearls. "I was introduced to black pearls on our dive today. The only natural black pearls in the world come from Tahiti. When I saw them, I knew I had to have them," I explain as I put them around her neck. "I may have bribed the dive master in order to procure this specific strand."

A satisfied smile grows on my face as I see just how beautiful they are in contrast to her pale skin. I lean in to kiss her suprasternal notch, that perfect spot on a woman's body where her throat blends into her chest.

"Now I understand why Count Almásy called this spot the _Almásy Bosphorus_," I explain, my voice suddenly deeper. "But he can't have yours. It's mine now, until the end of time."

"They're stunning. I've never seen anything like them."

"Precisely. That's exactly why I needed to have them for you."

I hand her a glass and we clink them together in a toast.

"Us. Forever."

"Forever."

Bella leans her head on my shoulder and we savor the rest of the champagne. We sit quietly in companionable silence. I feel her arm reaching across my body and hear paper rustle.

"Silverfox, we don't need any bucket list. Let's just vow to push ourselves to try something new together every day."

Taking a match, Bella strikes it alight then holds it up to the list, which is soon engulfed in flame. When it's almost to her fingers, she releases it. It floats into the air, buoyed by the heat, until it's nothing more than ash.

"Something new every day? With you? I can absolutely live with that."

I kiss her forehead as a solemn promise of sorts and then pull my wife into the villa and into my bed. _Our_ bed. Forever.

**END NOTE: Just a brief epilogue remains. It will likely be posted next weekend.**

**The **_**Almásy Bosphorus**_** is a reference from the **_**The English Patient. **_** It's Count Almásy's favorite part of his lover's body. You can find a clip from the movie if you search for it on youtube.**

**If you want to see what the **_**Paul Gauguin**_** looks like, you can google it. Sadly, they don't offer free cruises to people who incorporate their ship into fanfiction stories. The same applies for the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, too. *sighs***


	17. Epilogue

**THE SILVER LINING**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who read, supported, favorited, reviewed and/or recommended my little story. You're amazing and I wish I could give you all a big hug. I didn't know if I could write a compelling story about an older couple, but at the very least, I can now say that I wrote one that was completed. **

**Things I own: A mad obsession with Silverfox. **

**Things I don't: Anything **_**Twilight**_**. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.**

**EPILOGUE**

_**Six Months Later**_

I check my iPhone to be sure I'm on time. I've never been to this restaurant before, and Bella is already there with Esme and Carlisle—we're having a double date for dinner and a movie. We're going to see the Seattle Erotic Art Festival Film Exhibition at the historic Grand Illusion Cinema. Dinner is the Jewel of India, some of the best Indian food in the city. Rather than make the long drive back to Port Angeles afterwards, we're planning to stay overnight at Hotel Deca. We need to be well rested for our active agenda tomorrow.

I think about how much fun we've been having with my brother and sister in law. They both love Bella and were thrilled when they found out we'd had an impromptu marriage on our Tahiti trip. Since then, Bella and Esme have been thick as thieves; Bella convinced Esme to start going to yoga with her. Carlisle certainly hasn't been complaining about the side benefits of yoga, either. I love to kid him about Esme being able to run him ragged with her new level of flexibility.

I walk inside the Jewel and spot them at once—they're sharing a lively round of laughter. I smile knowing what the subject matter probably is. You'd think we were a bunch of 18 year olds the way we all gossip about sex. I lean over to kiss my wife then take a seat next to her. She already ordered my favorite—lamb vindaloo. I grab some naan and break off a piece straightaway. I never knew I'd like Indian food, but naturally it's one of the many things Bella taught me to love.

Before I met Bella, I had no idea what naan even was. I'd never had sex outdoors. I'd never broken a porch swing while having sex. I'd never slept in bed with a naked woman. I'd never eaten dessert for breakfast. I'd never used sex toys. There are so many different things I've experienced with her it makes me realize that I was hardly even alive before we met. I look back at myself and see a cold, crunchy shell intent on not being hurt. This new version of me, however, is without doubt the real me. The person I was always meant to be. It took meeting Bella—a hottie with that gorgeous braid and those incredible thongs—to set me free.

"Silverfox!" I hear Bella's voice break through my thoughts. "Where have you been just now?" she nudges me. "In the gutter. I should have guessed."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "You only have yourself to blame in that regard, Miss I-Have-A-Pink-Toybox."

I'm surprised to hear Esme choking at my words. I look over at her and she's beet red. My words embarrassed her? Carlisle leans in to whisper an explanation to me.

"Bella and Esme went toy shopping today. Esme is going to let me see what's in her new toybox after the film festival."

I nod my head in understanding, not wishing to embarrass Esme further, and give my brother a hearty handshake of congrats under the table. Then I change the subject abruptly.

"So, did you finish all the wedding arrangements this afternoon?" I ask Bella casually.

"Mmm, I did. Alice was so helpful, taking everything over for me. I'd have been completely lost without her."

"It's good of you to go along with the kids' wishes to have a wedding they can participate in. I know it's not easy for you to be the center of attention."

"It's fine, love. I know that it means so much to them, and it's going to be just family. I can handle that."

A small yip interrupts Bella. She reaches down to pick up her bag. "Maximus, behave. You already had your dinner," she scolds in a very pushover-ish tone.

Little Max peeks his head out to give Bella a kiss. We adopted our new child—our new _furry_ child—about two weeks after we returned from Tahiti. Bella couldn't wait. She insisted on a huge Roman name for this tiny dog. He's pure black and a handsome little fellow. He's my companion on daily walks and I'm surprised by how much I've been enjoying his company. I never cared much for toy dogs, but I have to admit that Max has stolen my heart. As with most things, Bella proves to be incredibly attuned to what is good for us as individuals and as a couple. I truly love that about her, among many other things.

My phone buzzes and I pick it up to see who's texting me. Alice.

_Yo Dad, enjoy the film festival. Nudge-nudge, wink-wink_

I should have known she'd never let go of my mistaken sext message I sent to her by accident. I get texts from her of this nature almost every day now. I grin to myself and answer my cheeky daughter.

_Oh, I'll be sure to tell you all about it tomorrow. We're staying at the Deca, so we'll have all sorts of LOL to share w/u._

_Ew, Dad. TMI._

I shake my head. Oh, Alice. You never learn?

_Dude, you started it ;)_

_Dude, Dad? Really? What, you're 65 going on 15?_

I chuckle out loud. I love my daughter.

_You only have your children to blame. They made sure I was up on the lingo. _

_Whatever. Have a great time. See you tomorrow. Don't be late for the wedding!_

_Love you, my baby girl._

_Love you, too, Daddy._

As I hit "send," I feel a hand sneaking up my thigh. I look over at Bella, who appears to be absorbed in deep conversation with Esme. She doesn't fool me for a bit. I put my arm around her waist, pulling her chair in close to me. I put my hand up the back of her sweater and start running my fingertip along the waist of her skirt. She starts to make subtle wiggles with her hips, so I know I'm getting to her as much as she's getting to me. Much as she's absorbed in Esme, I try to appear enraptured with Carlisle's words. I'm totally full of shit, of course—as if I can focus on anything except Bella's hand placement on my thigh. No, make that my crotch.

Oh, my Bella. Two can play at this game. I wiggle my finger past her waistband and start teasing along the top of her crack. Soon, she's actively trying not to wiggle; I can feel her ass cheeks tighten. I chuckle out loud at her.

"For crying out loud you two!" Esme says in exasperation. "Get a hotel room already," she laughs.

"Funny you should mention hotel room. We already have one, thank you very much," I tease, waving our room key in front of them.

"Please promise me that you won't make out in public during the film festival," Carlisle adds his two cents' worth.

"No can do, brother of mine. If I have this nimble little minx sitting next to me while I'm watching erotica, there's no way I'm going to be able to keep my hands off of her."

"That kind of spoils the whole notion of chastity before the wedding night," my brother teases me back.

"Chastity!" Bella snorts out loud. "Hello, Carlisle. Have you ever met your brother Edward?"

The waiter appears with our check and I insist upon paying for it. This is our groom's dinner of sorts. We had planned to just have a simple all-family meal at our new place until Alice and Seth informed us that we needed to vacate the premises. Something to do with the wedding planning and decorations. She wants it to be a surprise from the kids to us.

I was worried about how they'd take our getting married in Tahiti, since they weren't involved in the process. They were surprised, certainly, but not upset. When Alice suggested having a wedding celebration/ceremony for the whole family, we thought it was a brilliant idea. And my lovely Bella, she's given Alice and Seth free reign to plan it all. She has no idea what's going to happen—it's all a big surprise. The only stipulations we've given them were that it must be casual, that Carlisle and Esme must be our best man and maid of honor, and that even the little ones can enjoy it.

I hand the waiter my card and we prepare to leave for the theater. As we wait for the receipt, I lean over and whisper to Bella. "You really shouldn't have done that," I chide.

"Done what?" She asks, all innocence. Doesn't fool me at all.

"Started that chain reaction that will lead to a total nuclear meltdown. I can't be held accountable if I end up fucking you in public after that," I warn.

She gasps in reply to my tone. _Perfect_. I pinch her ass just to add emphasis to my words.

I let Carlisle and Esme lead us to the cinema while I fondle my wife as much as I can possibly get away with.

She whispers under her breath to me. "How can you possibly be horny after this morning?"

"Um, let me see," I count off using my fingers. "One, because I know what you and Esme have been up to, and that's just so hot in and of itself, buying toys with your friend. Two, you're wearing a thong underneath that skirt and you _knew_ I'd find out before we got to the film festival," I'm nearly ranting, I'm so worked up. "Three, we're on our way to an erotic film festival and I have to sit next to you trying not to paw you to death. Four, you're you and you always make me horny. And five, we're getting married. Again. Tomorrow. That's almost too hot to even contemplate. I'm a burning man here, Bella," I complain.

What does my little minx do with this information regarding my code red level of sexual frustration? She looks around mischievously and lifts up her skirt to reveal her beautiful, bare ass and thigh high stockings.

She wants to kill me. Plain and simple, she wants me dead in order to collect upon the insurance money. Surely, there could be no other reason for such torture.

I swat her bare ass hard. "You are in so much trouble, Bella Swan-Cullen."

What does my beautiful, perfect, harpy of a wife do? Laughs. She LAUGHS.

"Oh, Silverfox, you have _no_ idea," she grins.

Naturally, she says this just as we arrive at the theater, and I'm supposed to just sit on that tease of information she just let out. My wife knows how to wind me up like no one else.

**~xXx~**

The film festival was indeed erotic, and that forced me to go a few rounds with my hot wife afterwards. Regardless of what your religion is, I refuse to believe that my having sex before marriage with Bella was a sin. But we are married, so I guess the point is moot. I grin to myself with amusement.

I'm down in the lobby, getting ready to check out when I'm met by a man in a chauffeur's uniform.

"Excuse me, Mr. Cullen?" He asks.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to take you home."

"But, I have a car."

It's only then that I see Emmett.

"Keys, pops. You guys get limo breakfast ride. I get your delicious Volvo."

Eyebrows raised, I shrug my shoulders and we follow the chauffeur.

Holy fucking hell, it's an antique Aston Martin.

_Alice_.

Bella and I get situated and are presented with a note card from my daughter.

_Dear Dad and Bella:_

_You deserve this, so suck it up and enjoy it. Have a good breakfast and relax. Everything is being taken care of. You just need to show up._

_With love, all your children_

Bella and I smile in response and sink into a kiss. On our drive to forks, we spend a lot of time feeding each other, drinking champagne, and stealthily making out in the back seat.

Okay, perhaps not stealthily, but still. Like I'm not going to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world on the day we get married for the second time?

When we arrive home, only to find that Emmett made it there well before we did. He apparently inherited his father's love of speed. Alice whisks Bella away to get dressed, and Seth does the same for me. Rose, Leah and Syd take care of all the kids who are happily running and screaming in the yard. It's the most heavenly sound in the world, apart from Bella screaming out my name.

I'm dressed in a dark gray suit and bright blue tie. Not that it really matters, because Bella's clearly the looker of the two of us. I'm escorted to the yard where our ceremony is to be. Alice insists that this ceremony is going to look official, even if it's abbreviated and we're already legally married. If it makes the kids feel better, who am I to argue?

As I stand near a trellis, Jasper approaches me. "I'm, uh, the hired help," he says with a shrug. I look at him like he sprouted another head. I have no idea what he's talking about.

"Alice asked me to get an online certificate so I could marry you. This is apparently an all-family affair," he explains.

I just grin and give him a shrug right back. Carlisle and Esme join me in the front and I instantly turn to watch for Bella. I hear a classical guitar start playing "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," and she appears, wearing a deep blue dress. On either side of her are Emmett and Seth. Both of our boys are going to escort her.

Apparently, however, the entire family is going to walk down the aisle first. Starting with our youngest grandchild, they walk toward me one by one. When they reach us, they take a seat on the ground so that there is a semi-circle of smallish bodies surrounding us. Our eldest grandchild has Maximus by a leash, leading him down the aisle. Once again, I can see Bella's ring attached to his collar, just like little Honey Bun did in Tahiti. Alice thinks of everything.

It's finally Bella's turn, and before she proceeds, she gives either boy a kiss on the cheek. This show of family solidarity makes my heart clench—I'm so fiercely proud of all my children, from both families.

Jasper welcomes everyone and before we get to the vows, each one of our children stand in front of us, turning the semi-circle of sitting grandchildren into a full circle so we're completely surrounded by family.

"Before we say our vows, each child is going to read a short quote in honor of your marriage," Jasper explains.

As the eldest child of all, Emmett begins. "The greatest good we can do for others is not just to share our riches with them, but to reveal their riches to themselves. This is a Swahili proverb, and we thank both of you for being incredible parents and showing us all the riches in the world."

After speaking, he sits down, joining the grandchildren.

Rose follows Emmett's lead. "A marriage based on full confidence, based on complete and unqualified frankness on both sides; they are not keeping anything back; there's no deception underneath it all. If I might so put it, it's an agreement for the mutual forgiveness of sin. Henrik Ibsen," Rose sits next to her husband and takes his hand in hers

Leah and Syd speak their quote together, in unison. "The right to marry means little if it does not include the right to marry the person of one's choice, the Massachusetts High Court Ruling of November 18th, 2003." They kiss each other, and Leah adds "Go Washington for being the 8th state to legalize gay marriage." They quickly join everyone else and take their seat.

Tiny Alice follows, my little spitfire girl. "Some day, you will find someone who will have a greater hold on your affections than I do. The most important journey of your life will be to find her. Charles Dickens from _Nicholas Nickleby_." She gives us both such a lovely grin and I can't thank her enough for all her support, from the very beginning.

Seth is the last child to come forward and I have no idea what to expect from him. He's the sunniest person I've ever known, always positive and upbeat and I feel like he's already said so much when he hasn't yet opened his mouth.

"Everything will be all right in the end. And if it's not all right, then it's not yet the end. From the _Exotic Marigold Hotel_."

Seth bends down to scoop up Maximus and hands him to Bella.

Since we've officially said our vows once, we decided to just go with the traditional ones to save time. It's not like they're critical, since we're already married. This is more about the experience than the specific steps. We've also decided to respond to the vows at the same time, to present a unified front.

Jasper clears his throat then begins. "Edward and Bella, do you take each other from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

I turn to look at Bella and kiss her forehead before giving her a nod to speak. "We do," we say together.

"All right, then. You have my permission to kiss until the cows come home," he laughs at us. Maximus beats us to the punch, licking our faces like crazy.

We turn around to face our children and raise our joined hands into the air. The littlest ones, tired from sitting still all this time, jump to their feet and start running around, yelling and giggling; Maximus joins in, chasing the children and running around in circles. If dogs could smile, Max would be grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Someone hands us glasses of champagne, and I sit down, pulling Bella into my lap. I nuzzle my way into the crook of her neck, breathing in the scent of her perfume. I'm content to sit here with my wife, smelling and kissing her neck, for the rest of my life.

As we cuddle quietly together, I look around at the scene in front of me and can't help but smile. Alice, Jasper and Seth are deep in conversation, Emmett and Leah are laughing like they've been friends forever, and even Rose is chatting up Leah's girlfriend, Syd. Will wonders never cease? Somehow, this amalgam of such different people gathered in a show of support for the families they love makes incredible sense to me. As if we all belong together, because, in fact, we do. There are no accidents in life—this was always meant to be. I grin to myself, realizing that I sound just like Bella. My scientific brain is still all there, but I've definitely softened in the best of ways.

Looking at Bella, I cup her cheeks in my hand and offer up to her my own wedding quote, which I whisper into her ear.

"Bella?" She shivers as my breath touches her skin. "Someone once said that the secret to having it all is knowing that you already do. I completely agree with this."

"Oh, Silverfox, I've known that I have it all since the minute I laid eyes on you in the Laundromat. You never had any choice in this matter. Trust me on that."

I finish our day in the only way that makes sense—I kiss my girl with all the passion in my soul, smiling against her lips as I hear rounds of applause and forks clinking on glasses.

Perfection. As long as we both shall live.

**END NOTE: Incredibly, my little story has been nominated for Top Ten Completed Fics for July 2013. If you'd like to vote, go to twifanfictionrecs dot com and vote for your top ten completed fics listed.**

**As of right now, this will be the last fanfiction piece I write. I'm not leaving fanfiction for good, nor do I have plans to pull any of my stories. It's just that I have several original stories in my brain right now, and I want to work on those for the foreseeable future. Thanks to everyone who has read my stories, pimped them, and given me so much of your time and energy. I'm more appreciative than I could ever convey in words. It's been an incredible journey for me.**


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